Vance takes tougher stance than Trump on Ukraine minerals deal - Bloomberg
US Vice President J.D. Vance is taking a tougher approach to negotiations on a mining deal with Ukraine than President Donald Trump.
This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to European officials, Censor.NET reports.
According to officials familiar with the discussions, Vance is taking a more demanding approach compared to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Representative for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg, who are taking a more moderate stance.
Nevertheless, negotiators note that Vance's approach in private meetings differs from his public statements. He conducts the dialogue professionally and in a less politicised manner than when he speaks in the media.
At the same time, his recent comments in an interview with Fox News, where he questioned the value of security guarantees from countries that ‘haven't been at war for 30 or 40 years,’ provoked a sharp reaction in the UK and France. British politicians recalled the active participation of their military in joint operations with the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Minerals agreement with the US
As a reminder, Trump has said he wants to sign a $500 billion 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.
President Zelenskyy said that the agreement with the US on minerals would be signed at the ministerial level when ready and subject to guarantees. Currently, this document is not ready to protect Ukraine's interests.
Later, Trump said that Ukraine had undermined the rare earth metals deal. The agreement was needed so that the United States could recover the money spent on supporting Ukraine.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has given to Ukraine an "improved" draft of the minerals agreement that "complies with Ukrainian law."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if the US wants to see specific numbers in the minerals agreement, then according to Ukrainian law, ratification by the Verkhovna Rada will be required.
On 25 February, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on the terms of a deal on minerals, and Kyiv was ready to sign the document.
On February 26, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the signing of a subsoil agreement with the United States.
The agreement was supposed to be signed on February 28 at the White House, but due to a dispute between Trump and Zelenskyy, it did not happen.
