Trump made the comment in an interview on Monday, as he discussed the three-year old conflict that has followed Russia’s full-scale invasion. Meanwhile, Kyiv has suggested that a deal that would compensate Washington for continuing to receive military and financial aid is possible.
“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. Trump said in an interview with Fox News, a US television network. “They may be Russian someday, or they might not.”
The US leader also reiterated that he wants compensation for the assistance that the US has given Ukraine through the sale of rare earth minerals.
“I declare that I want the money back because we are going to have it.” And I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500bn worth of rare earth”, Trump said. “And they have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told The Associated Press news agency that Ukraine is “interested to work” with the US on the deal.
As part of any ceasefire agreement with Russia, which Trump has repeatedly said he will pursue quickly, Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with US Vice President JD Vance on Friday.
Kyiv fears that any agreement that doesn’t include tough military commitments, like joining NATO or deploying peacekeeping forces, will only give the Kremlin time to regroup and resurrect in preparation for a new attack.
Trump made the suggestion over the weekend that he had spoken with Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. Moscow has sincerity and stated that a truce is only possible on its terms, but it has not confirmed this.
Against this backdrop, the violence in Ukraine continues, with Russian troops pushing forward on the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Kyiv and Moscow are also maintaining an almost nightly air barrage, targeting energy infrastructure, in particular.
Russian drone and missile attacks hit Ukrainian production sites in the central Poltava region overnight on Tuesday.
Source: Aljazeera
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