In an attempt to live up to his promise that he will finish the war quickly, US President Donald Trump has hinted that Ukraine “may be Russian someday.”
In an interview on Monday, Trump made the remark while talking about the three-year-old conflict that has been going on since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Kyiv, meantime, has indicated that it is amenable to a deal in which Washington would receive payment for its ongoing financial and military assistance.
“They might strike a deal or they might not. In an interview with US channel Fox News, Trump stated, “They might be Russian one day, or they might not be Russian one day.”
The US leader also restated his desire for access to rare earth minerals as payment for the assistance the US has given Ukraine.
“All of this money will be in there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I wanted the same amount of rare earth, like $500 billion,” Trump remarked. “And at least we don’t feel foolish because they have basically agreed to do that.”
Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told The Associated Press news agency that Ukraine is “interested to work” with the United States on the agreement.
Zelenskyy is requesting strong security assurances from Washington as part of any ceasefire agreement with Russia, which Trump has insisted he will expedite, as he meets with US Vice President JD Vance on Friday.
Kyiv worries that any agreement that excludes firm military guarantees, like joining NATO or sending peacekeeping forces, will merely give the Kremlin more time to reorganize and prepare for another assault.
Over the weekend, Trump implied that he had a conversation with Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. Moscow, meanwhile, has reaffirmed that a truce is only feasible on its conditions and has not acknowledged any contact has occurred.
In light of this, Russian troops are advancing on the front line in eastern Ukraine, and the violence in Ukraine is still ongoing.
Additionally, Moscow and Kyiv continue their nearly nightly airstrikes, focusing on energy infrastructure specifically.
Natural gas production facilities in the central Poltava region of Ukraine were struck by a Russian drone and missile attack overnight on Tuesday.
In the meantime, after a hit, Russia reported a fire at an industrial plant in its Saratov region. According to Ukraine, it hit an oil refinery.
