Trump accuses Zelensky of deal breach over rare earths
- We had a deal based on rare earth and things, but they broke that deal… they broke it two days ago - said U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday. He again referred to the Ukrainian president as a "dictator." He mocked that Zelensky could have attended the U.S. and Russia talks in Riyadh, but he wasn't invited.
During a speech in Miami at the Future Investment Institute (FII) event organized by Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his grievances against the Ukrainian president. He accused Volodymyr Zelensky of dragging the U.S. into a "war that couldn't be won" and once again called him a dictator interested mainly in American money.
He added another point to the list of previous accusations: accusing him of breaking a deal intended to give the United States a 50% share of revenues from rare earth metals and other resources as compensation for the assistance provided so far.
We are just giving our money, and we had a deal based on rare earth metals and other things, but they broke that deal. They broke it two days ago - Trump recalled.
On Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the agreement presented by the American side. He stated that he prohibited his ministers from signing it because it did not protect Ukraine's interests.
Rare earth metals are crucial for certain sectors of the economy, including the automotive, aerospace, and energy industries. Ukraine holds large deposits of lithium, known as "white gold." It is used to produce batteries for phones, laptops, tablets, and vacuums.
Trump: Only I can end this war
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz stated that this is the cause of "frustration" in Washington-Kyiv relations, and Americans "deserve" to receive money for the aid provided.
Trump once again stated - baselessly - that Zelensky has low approval ratings in polls and mocked the Ukrainian president's demands to be at the negotiating table between the U.S. and Russia in Riyadh.
Today I heard, ‘oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years ... You should have never started it. You could have made a deal - said the U.S. president.
At the same time, he assured that only he can bring about peace and that Vladimir Putin agrees with this opinion.
Besides the war in Ukraine, Trump also spoke on other topics, including the work of Elon Musk's team DOGE. He suggested that, together with Musk, they are considering sending 20% of the money saved by DOGE's efforts in cheques to all Americans and allocating another 20% for paying down public debt.
Trump: DOGE saved $55 billion
The American president claims that Musk's team saved $55 (CAD 78) billion by cancelling contracts, including foreign aid (according to "The New York Times" among others, these figures are greatly inflated), but in the long run, they will find "trillions" in savings. 20% of the $55 (CAD 78) billion divided among the U.S. population would be about $35 (CAD 50) per person.
He also announced "dramatic" tax cuts for families and businesses and tax relief for corporations, while imposing tariffs on many products - from cars, through semiconductors, to medications.
