Now we can be sure: Trump wants Ukraine’s minerals – but is going after them the wrong way.
His war of words with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has only stiffened Zelenskyy’s resolve not to give anything away to the US President without receiving something solid in response; Trump is trying to say the States should have access to the minerals as compensation for aid already given, or in return for possible aid in the future.
But we know that Trump thinks US involvement in Ukraine’s war with Russia is not in his country’s best interests, so any future aid is likely to be sparse, if not nonexistent.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Ukraine holds huge deposits of critical elements and minerals, including lithium and titanium, as well as sizeable coal, gas, oil and uranium deposits – a supply worth billions of dollars.
Donald Trump wants free access to them – but his strategy has been bizarre.
He insulted Zelenskyy, calling him a dictator – initiating a war of words that was notable for the number of falsehoods told by Trump (as described in This Site’s previous article).
Even so, Zelenskyy attended a meeting with the US special envoy to Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg – and came out of it saying he was “ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement with the president of the United States”.
So a deal is possible – if Trump puts something tangible on the table.
Whether the minerals will be part of it is questionable because Zelenskyy has already refused Trump’s demand, saying, “I can’t sell our state.”
And hanging over all of this is Trump’s decision to launch unilateral peace negotiations with Russia – excluding Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has made it clear that Kyiv will not honour the conditions of any agreement that it has not been involved in reaching. After speaking to the leaders of Canada, Finland, Norway and South Africa, he posted, “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” on X.
So the course for Trump seems clear.
If he wants Ukrainian minerals he must make a clear offer of future aid to the country and include Ukraine in his peace negotiations with Russia.
But will he take that option?
Or will he try to bully a fellow world leader who refuses to be coerced?
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Trump wants Ukraine’s minerals – but is going after them the wrong way
Now we can be sure: Trump wants Ukraine’s minerals – but is going after them the wrong way.
His war of words with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has only stiffened Zelenskyy’s resolve not to give anything away to the US President without receiving something solid in response; Trump is trying to say the States should have access to the minerals as compensation for aid already given, or in return for possible aid in the future.
But we know that Trump thinks US involvement in Ukraine’s war with Russia is not in his country’s best interests, so any future aid is likely to be sparse, if not nonexistent.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Ukraine holds huge deposits of critical elements and minerals, including lithium and titanium, as well as sizeable coal, gas, oil and uranium deposits – a supply worth billions of dollars.
Donald Trump wants free access to them – but his strategy has been bizarre.
He insulted Zelenskyy, calling him a dictator – initiating a war of words that was notable for the number of falsehoods told by Trump (as described in This Site’s previous article).
Even so, Zelenskyy attended a meeting with the US special envoy to Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg – and came out of it saying he was “ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement with the president of the United States”.
So a deal is possible – if Trump puts something tangible on the table.
Whether the minerals will be part of it is questionable because Zelenskyy has already refused Trump’s demand, saying, “I can’t sell our state.”
And hanging over all of this is Trump’s decision to launch unilateral peace negotiations with Russia – excluding Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has made it clear that Kyiv will not honour the conditions of any agreement that it has not been involved in reaching. After speaking to the leaders of Canada, Finland, Norway and South Africa, he posted, “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” on X.
So the course for Trump seems clear.
If he wants Ukrainian minerals he must make a clear offer of future aid to the country and include Ukraine in his peace negotiations with Russia.
But will he take that option?
Or will he try to bully a fellow world leader who refuses to be coerced?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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