Kyiv seeks to mend ties with U.S. amid stalled mineral pact
Kyiv is ready to sign a mineral agreement with the United States, reported Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. President Volodymyr Zelensky also made a conciliatory statement. These declarations came shortly after Donald Trump decided to suspend military support for Ukraine. Does this mean that Kyiv urgently wants to return to talks with the U.S. president and apologize?
Let's recall that the agreement was supposed to be signed last Friday, but due to the quarrel between Presidents Trump and Zelensky, the negotiations failed.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukraine is committed to preserving its cooperation with the United States at its current level. He underscored the importance of American assistance to Kyiv, highlighting its role in saving thousands of lives. He declared that despite the incident at the White House, Kyiv is nonetheless ready to sign a mineral agreement with the U.S. Several hours earlier, Trump decided to suspend military support for Ukraine. Unofficial reports suggest he wants Zelensky to apologize for the incident on Friday.
Zelensky himself also made a conciliatory statement. On Tuesday afternoon Eastern Time, he wrote, "None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians." He also pointed out areas from which negotiations could begin.
Why does Trump dislike Zelensky?
According to Mariusz Marszałkowski, an expert at Defence24.pl specializing in security and Eastern policy, the American side still appears to disdain Zelensky.
It existed during Trump's first term in the White House. The American president asked Zelensky to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former American president Joe Biden. Zelensky refused, and Trump lost the election in 2019. The grudge remains to this day. Marszałkowski said in an interview with WP that Trump's advisors agitate the American president, further reinforcing it.
The security expert stresses that the American president also wants to maintain good relations with Russia.
- Everything also suggests that Trump respects Putin. And Zelensky, at most, should be grateful to America and listen to what the U.S. president has to say. Apparently, someone is advising the American leader that the priority is not the war in Ukraine, but pulling Russia away from China - Marszałkowski assesses.
Trump wants to force Zelensky into an armistice on Washington's terms
According to the expert, Trump wants Zelensky to sign a unilateral ceasefire. - But the Ukrainian president does not want to agree to this and does not accept the role of obeying the American president's wishes - Marszałkowski emphasizes. This might explain his various initiatives, such as proposal agreements.
- There was already a ceasefire in 2014, which Putin later violated with impunity. Today, Trump wants to force Zelensky to an armistice on Washington's terms because he treats the Ukrainian president as being in a weaker negotiating position. The raw materials agreement couldn't be signed on Friday, so now Trump is doing everything to enforce Ukraine's unconditional surrender - comments the Defence24 expert.
First minerals, now a ceasefire
Should Zelensky apologize to Trump? - Personal resentment and pride must be set aside from the perspective of the presidency he holds because he cares about his country. He should apologize if it would lead to further military aid from the U.S. However, it must be conditional. Neither Trump nor Zelensky should turn it into a spectacle - Marszałkowski assesses.
As he emphasizes, he is skeptical about realizing such a scenario. Trump was looking for an excuse to stop the aid. If Zelensky does not apologize, he will emphasize the need for more significant support from European partners - the expert adds.
Marszałkowski notes that Ukraine, in seeking to sign an agreement, still speaks of a raw materials agreement.
- In contrast, the Americans, including U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, say Washington now wants a ceasefire. No one in the U.S. talks about minerals or rare earth metals anymore. It seems that the White House - yes - would sign an agreement, provided Zelensky apologizes to Trump for Friday's behaviour and agrees to an immediate ceasefire. Zelensky’s reluctance to apologize and bow to U.S. conditions may stem from the fact that the agreement includes provisions regarding the ceasefire besides clauses on raw materials. And Zelensky does not want to agree to these - Marszałkowski summarizes.
