The war in Ukraine has been going on for years. And we’ve been had for billions of dollars.
Now Trump issued this demand to Ukraine that could change everything.
President Trump has revealed that Ukraine has “essentially agreed” to provide the United States with rare earth minerals valued at half a trillion dollars in return for the extensive military aid Washington has funneled into Kyiv.
Speaking with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Special Report in an interview recorded before Sunday’s Super Bowl, Trump underscored the immense value of Ukraine’s natural resources and made it clear that the U.S. should not be left empty-handed after sending Ukraine hundreds of billions of dollars in support.
“They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth [minerals], in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things. I want to have our money secured, because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars [in Ukraine],” Trump stated.
The 78-year-old former president emphasized that American access to Ukraine’s resources should not be contingent on the outcome of any peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
He pointed out that the U.S. contributions to Ukraine’s war effort far exceed those of other nations, making it only fair for America to secure something in return.
“They may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we’re going to have all this money in [Ukraine] and I say, I want it back,” Trump asserted.
Trump then disclosed a key detail about negotiations, stating, “I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth [minerals], and they’ve essentially agreed to do that.”
Reaffirming his stance against what he sees as reckless spending, Trump continued:
“I said to them, ‘We have to — we have to get something. We can’t continue to pay this money,’” calling the idea of pouring aid into Ukraine without a return “stupid.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared open to a resource-sharing arrangement with the U.S., particularly in the context of securing long-term security assurances.
“If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it,” Zelensky told Reuters on Friday.
“We need to stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and protect what we have — a very rich Dnipro region [in] central Ukraine.”
Ukraine is home to approximately 5% of the world’s mineral resources, including crucial materials such as titanium, uranium, iron, manganese, lithium, and the rare earth elements considered essential to U.S. national security.
Trump also expressed optimism about a potential resolution to the war, saying, “I think it’s going to happen.”
“I think we’ve made tremendous progress in the last week. We’re dealing with the Russians. We’re dealing with the Ukrainians. I think there’s going to be something,” he added.
A high-level U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, is expected to meet with Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference this week to discuss a potential path to ending the nearly three-year-long conflict.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
