Zelenskyy: I proposed to Trump idea of mining in Ukraine in exchange for aid
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he himself had offered US President Donald Trump access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals in exchange for security and financial incentives.
According to Censor.NET, the head of state said this in an interview with The Guardian.
Zelenskyy said he had proposed an idea for Ukrainian rare earth minerals to Trump back in September when they met in New York.
He added that Ukraine has the largest uranium and titanium reserves in Europe, and it is "not in the interests of the United States" for these reserves to end up in Russian hands and potentially be transferred to the DPRK, China or Iran.
The president now intends to return with a "more detailed plan" on opportunities for US companies to exploit Ukraine's natural resources and help rebuild Ukraine after the war.
"We are talking not only about security, but also about money... Valuable natural resources, where we can offer our partners opportunities that did not exist before to invest in them... For us, this will create jobs, for American companies, this will create profits," Zelenskyy said.
As a reminder, Trump recently said that he wants to sign a $500 million deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on access to rare earth resources and natural gas in Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees in any potential peace settlement.
