President Donald Trump made an ominous warning to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, accusing him of trying to "back out" of a minerals deal he has used as a condition to continue funding Kyiv's war efforts.
"I think Zelenskyy, by the way, he's trying to back out of the rare earth deal, and if he does that, he's got some problems — big, big problems," Trump told press aboard the Air Force One.
"We made a deal on rare earths, and now he's saying, 'well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.' He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that, so, if he's looking to renegotiate the deal, he's got big problems," Trump added.
Washington D.C.'s latest offer would grant the U.S. access to Ukraine's oil, gas and minerals, with the two countries operating them together through a joint investment, then splitting the revenues.
Zelensky said the latest draft included "many new provisions that were not previously discussed" and some others that had "already been rejected by both sides." Bloomberg reported that Kyiv will ask for changes that include more investment from the U.S. as well as clarification on the joint reconstruction fund.
Trump is also unhappy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling press he was "pissed off" at him after he criticized Zelensky's credibility. "If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia's fault ... I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia," Trump said, according to Reuters. "There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil," he added.
Nonetheless, Trump then mitigated the criticism, saying he believed progress was being made in the negotiations toward ending the war.
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