Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was not satisfied with his meeting with the US Vice President, JD Vance, yesterday in Munich. The Ukrainian president expected a greater commitment in terms of security from the Americans. However, the plan promoted by Donald Trump to acquire Ukraine's rare earths and valuable minerals offered no counterpart, beyond the aid they have already provided to Kiev to defend itself from Russia. In those terms, there is no agreement.
A prominent White House official criticized Zelensky's decision to reject the plan as "shortsighted," at least for now. "I did not allow the ministers to sign a relevant agreement because, in my opinion, it is not ready to protect us, our interest," Zelensky told The Associated Press on Saturday at a security summit in Germany.
The proposal focused on how the United States could use Kiev's rare earth minerals "as compensation" for the support already provided to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future assistance, said current and former Ukrainian officials who spoke anonymously to express themselves freely.
Ukraine has large reserves of critical minerals used in the aerospace, defense, and nuclear industries. The Trump administration has indicated interest in accessing them to reduce dependence on China, but Zelensky said that any exploitation should be linked to security guarantees for Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression.
Furthermore, European countries will not create a unified army in response to Russia's threats, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, in an interview with state television broadcast on Saturday night. It was one of Zelensky's demands in Munich.