[Salon] 'Military equipment and the right to fight on' — Trump on what US minerals deal gives Ukraine

[Todd Pierce <todd.e.pierce@icloud.com>]

Title: 'Military equipment and the right to fight on' — Trump on what US minerals deal gives Ukraine

This has something for everyone here (for those who ask, not sarcasm). For those "peace activists" who believe we're now about "ending the endless wars, they have the illusion that we're "ending the endless wars," and they can die happy now in how they achieved that with their recent efforts to get this government elected. That especially includes the Ron Paul adhering libertarians, euphoric that not only do they now have the middle class subsidizing the Plutocrats even more, whose Loyal Servants they dutifully are (and my old friend Jim Bovard is on the verge of having the USPS, that bastion of the Deep State, go the way of USAID!), but that massive military budget increase coming our way, following the path of the 2017 massive increase which kick-started the stalled increases prior to that, can once again be justified as I'd heard one old libertarian friend say: "at least we got tax cuts!"  🤬

Those former officials such as intelligence officers and Ambassadors, who correctly saw that risks of nuclear war had exponentially increased with the Ukraine War, and glorified the incoming administration as who would put a stop to it, are hootin' and hollerin' that we're "talking" with the Russians now, as Biden should have been doing all along instead of continuing his predecessor's provocations in league with Poland to precipitate a war, but that latter element is always missed by these types, as it is by so many others going on Judge Napolitano's and Schiller Institute's programs these past few years. 

As to those who support continuing the war against Russia as was escalated in 2017 with Duda as partner, their happiness with this "deal" can be captured by "Adrian's" comment below: 

Adrian

Concerned Citizen·Yesterday

Totally agree, a faustian deal deserves a Faustian return. The art of the steal turned into a good deal after all for Ukraine. Not sure if the Kremlin will be laughing.

Gilbert, et al.? 

As for me, I wish I had the satirical touch as this is a "satire rich environment," with the insanity that predominates here, and throughout the land. With this bringing to mind, though not in expected "success": 

Queen Isabella to Columbus: "Go to the Western Hemisphere; you can do deals there!"

https://kyivindependent.com/military-equipment-and-the-right-to-fight-on-trump-on-what-minerals-deal-gives-ukraine/

'Military equipment and the right to fight on' — Trump on what US minerals deal gives Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

An agreement between Kyiv and Washington regarding Ukraine's critical minerals and natural resources will grant Ukraine "military equipment and the right to fight on," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 25.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's office confirmed on Feb. 25 that the U.S. and Ukraine had reached an agreement regarding Ukraine's critical minerals after an intense period of negotiations.

Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office of the White House, Trump said that the agreement gave Ukraine billions of dollars in aid and "lots of equipment."

The deal gives Ukraine "military equipment and the right to fight on, and originally, the right to fight," Trump said.

It was unclear whether Trump was referring to previous or future military aid packages to Ukraine. When asked about the sustainability of continued weapons and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine, Trump said shipments could "go forward for awhile, maybe until we have a deal with Russia."

Trump also said that Zelensky would visit the White House on Feb. 28 to sign the deal.

The finalized agreement, dated Feb. 24, reportedly offers Kyiv no security guarantees in exchange for 50% of revenues from the "future monetization" of Ukraine's state-owned mineral resources.

The White House has said that the agreement is necessary in order for the U.S. to "recoup" the funds it has granted to Ukraine in aid packages over the past three years of Russia's full-scale war.

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"Ukraine, I will say they're very brave, and they're good soldiers, but without the United States and its money and its military equipment, this war would have been over in a very short time," Trump said.

Trump also said he was open to striking a deal on critical minerals with Russia.

"I'd like to buy minerals on Russian land too if we can," he said.

"The rare earth, they have very good rare earth ... It's great for Russia too, because we could do deals there. They have very valuable land that isn't utilized, so something like that could take place."

Trump denied having spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding U.S. access to critical minerals in Russian-occupied Ukrainian lands.

Putin on Feb. 24 — the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — said that Moscow was open to working with foreign partners on developing rare earth metal deposits, including in occupied regions of Ukraine.

What we know about the US, Ukraine minerals deal