President Donald Trump on Monday indicated that he wants to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the country's rare earth materials as a condition for continuing U.S. support for its war against Russia.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump complained that the U.S. had sent more in military and economic assistance to Ukraine than its European partners, adding, “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things."
Trump suggested that he's received word from the Ukrainian government that they'd be willing to make a deal to give the U.S. access to the elements critical to the modern high-tech economy.
“I want to have security of rare earth,” Trump added. “We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.”
Trump, who had previously said he'd bring about a rapid end to the war, said talks are ongoing to bring the conflict to a close.
“We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine," Trump said. "We’ll see what happens. We’re going to stop that ridiculous war.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Associated Press on Saturday that any negotiations between the U.S. and Russia but without his country were unacceptable.
“They may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone,” Zelenskyy said.
He said his team has been in contact with the Trump administration, but those discussions are at a “general level,” and he believes in-person meetings will take place soon to develop more detailed agreements.
“We need to work more on this,” Zelenskyy said.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
27 Comments
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TaiwanIsNotChina
Oh ho ho! We were assured from the commentators here that there would never be any weapons sent to Ukraine under the Trump administration. As usual Trump backflipping all the way back where he came from.
JJE
The mask is finally coming off:
This conflict wasn't about supporting democracy and all that nonsense. This was a good old-fashioned scramble for resources by the west from 2014.
Irony is most of the resources have already been sold off by the Kyiv regime and those 'investors' are losing access to more of it daily. The south-east alone contains some 50% of the former total.
Underworld
I thought peace maker Trump wasn’t going to send any more money to Ukraine? What happened to that?
Underworld
JJE
No. It wasn’t. The year is 2025, and this is the first time it has come up.
This war is an imperialist state grab by Putin. He wants political control of Ukraine.
JJE
Let's pretend with a straight face Kyiv has not struck deals, many years prior, related to mineral wealth extraction and selling off prime black soil agricultural land to some very large foreign interests.
The guy in Kyiv has held multiple meetings with these groups, inked agreements behind closed doors. It is no big secret. Basically, these interests want to push to the last Ukrainian to secure their investments. Really cynical stuff.
bass4funk
For an exchange of their rare minerals? If we get something out of this which can benefit Americans (the only thing I care about) then go for it.
Not at all, they want weapons and support, ok, so what’s in it for me? A trade for a trade, more winning.
I'veSeenFootage
So it's blackmail, basically. Again.
Primusinter
Rare earth metals in Ukraine cannot be developed during military operations and without Russia's consent.
Yrral
Bass4,the government of the United States do not buy rare earth minerals
bass4funk
It will now.
The Avenger
"Trump complained that the U.S. had sent more in military and economic assistance to Ukraine than its European partners,"
Zelenskyy 'exposes' US over Ukraine war aid, ‘got only $75 of $177bn, where is the remaining money?’
In a shocking revelation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Ukraine has received only $75 billion out of the $177 billion military aid approved by the United States. Speaking to the Associated Press, Zelenskyy said he does not know where the remaining funds have gone, fueling speculation of corruption or US corporate lobbying.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/zelenskyy-exposes-us-over-ukraine-war-aid-got-only-75-of-177bn-where-is-the-remaining-money/videoshow/117892597.cms
Underworld
JJE
I think you need to provide some evidence, if you want to make this claim.
And I will note that “the guy in Kyiv” wasn’t the guy in Kyiv in 2014.
Underworld
Primusinter
But they can be, when Russia is kicked out. ;-)
Moriah
The rare earths could pay for Ukraine's reconstruction.
1: ceasefire
2: hold elections in Ukraine
3: Putin makes a peace treaty with the newly elected government which is now legitimate
Russia keeps the 4 provinces and Crimea and Trump gets his rare earths.
Ukraine gets a stable government and gets rebuilt.
Win win
stormcrow
Keep arming Ukraine!
Drive the invaders OUT!
Go Ukraine!
itsonlyrocknroll
43,000 troops killed in war with Russia, Zelensky says
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv75nydy3o
Quote, OHCHR has estimated the number of deaths of civilians, or non-armed individuals, in Ukraine at 12,162 since the start of the war on February 24, 2022
This all at the hands of despot slaughtering war criminal Russian dictator Putin invasion
President Trump should carefully examine his conscience, at the same time the appropriateness of these statements.
“We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things."
“I want to have security of rare earth,” Trump added. “We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.”
Tokyo Guy
What a vile, vile man.
This is the kind of guy who walks past a drowning man and says "hey, I got a rubber ring here, but you have to promise to vote for me next time I stand for something".
Underworld
Moriah
Swap 2. and 3. and include security guarantees and we have a deal.
lincolnman
Because he thinks "Rare Earths" are a classic rock group...
That "24 hour" vow to end the war just keeps getting ignored and pushed off....
it's now 168 hours....tick-tock Donald...
TaiwanIsNotChina
He says before gleefully counting his chips from the Donbas.
TaiwanIsNotChina
And in what part of that does Ukraine get foreign troops to make the whole thing stick?
TaiwanIsNotChina
That's right, bass, Ukraine was always a US ally. Repeat it now.
MAGAs going to have to bend over and pony up major support if they want those rare earths not to be in russian hands.
WoodyLee
The businessman man doing what he does best, making deals regardless and even when lives are at stake.
kurisupisu
Trump has American interests at heart so he is clearly living up to his mandate-not unusual,right?
Blacklabel
So Zelensky really claiming now that 100 billion of his payments are missing? Never made it to him?
yep, that’s the corruption we been talking about.
Blacklabel
how would THAT happen?
you mean Ukraine isn’t going to “win”? Interesting development.
Fos
As we all know the main responsible for this full scale disaster is the big US industrial military complex, the same one that President Dwight Eisenhower warned against in 1961.
The only reason the US administration intervened in Ukraine was for its sole and exclusive economic interests, not out of solidarity with the local people, or spirit of generosity.
Not to mention the sale of American made weapons (over $110 billions since Feb 2022), which drove the US financial indexes to historical records, a reminder that since the outbreak of war in Ukraine and disruptions in pipeline flows from Russia, the United States has increased LNG sales to Europe by 140 percent.
itsonlyrocknroll
No Fos all roads and blame for this devastating war in Ukraine lead straight to Kremlin, and despot war criminal Putin.
Putin threats of WW3, the use of next generation hypersonic nuclear missiles, prove his guilt complicity.
Had Putin not invaded, hundreds of thousands of souls families would have been saved.
Cities would never been reduced to rubble.