trump prioritizes resource deal over military aid for ukraine
Donald Trump has not declared military support for Ukraine, highlighting a resources agreement as a security guarantee. In a conversation with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he commented on relations with Putin.
During a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump emphasised that he does not intend to provide military guarantees to Ukraine. Instead, he highlighted an agreement concerning access to Ukrainian resources as a form of American support. Starmer noted that lasting peace in Ukraine requires American security guarantees.
Trump explained that the resources agreement with Ukraine involves creating a special fund, which will receive 50% of the revenues from the sale of Ukrainian resources. This fund is expected to reach a value of approximately £410 billion and will be allocated to Ukraine's reconstruction projects. "We have a safeguarding mechanism because we will be there, we will work," Trump said, underlining the importance of economic cooperation.
Relations with Russia
Regarding talks with Russia, Trump announced the application of the "trust but verify" principle, echoing Ronald Reagan's approach. "Russia is behaving very well," he stated, adding that peace talks are advanced but not yet concluded. The US President did not wish to reveal details of a potential peace mission in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Starmer emphasised that any peace agreement cannot reward the aggressor. He expressed a willingness to send British soldiers to Ukraine as part of a European contingent, provided suitable conditions are met. Starmer observed that Europeans fear a hastily concluded peace may lead to further instability in the region.
The Russians were heading to the front. The Ukrainians were waiting in the bushes
Trump on Putin
Trump claims that although he initially thought Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine, US involvement "changed a lot" and he said he believes that Putin will not break a potential agreement. At the start of the meeting, he stated that he trusts Putin because they "went through the Russian hoax together," referring to the affair concerning his campaign team's ties to the Kremlin during the 2016 election campaign.
He emphasised that his goal is to ensure that a similar conflict to the one in Ukraine never happens again in Europe. He also mentioned that he seeks peace for two reasons: humanitarian, to stop the killing, and economic, to avoid spending more money on aid to Ukraine.
Sending troops to Ukraine?
The topic of security guarantees and US support in the event of European countries sending soldiers to Ukraine was the main issue discussed during Trump's meeting with Starmer.
Starmer again declared his willingness to send British soldiers and planes to guarantee lasting peace and said he spoke with Trump about ensuring US support in this context. He mentioned having discussions on the matter with several countries, including France.
"European countries, including the United Kingdom, must meet the challenge and increase their expenditures on security and defence (...) This morning you heard from the President: as always in history, we can always count on each other," said the Prime Minister.
The head of government in London also asserted that the West must "win peace in Ukraine" and, together with Trump, they are discussing a "hard but fair" peace that will not reward the aggressor and "prevent Putin from returning."
Nevertheless, Thursday's talks did not signal a breakthrough regarding potential security guarantees. Asked at the beginning of the meeting, Trump suggested that such a guarantee would be the presence of American companies in Ukraine and their interest in extracting critical minerals under the agreement to be signed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
Meanwhile, Trump has softened his previous criticism of the Ukrainian President, speaking warmly of him and jokingly claiming not to remember ever calling him a dictator. He asserted that the minerals agreement will benefit both the US and Ukraine, allowing America to recover, while also laying the foundation for "more permanent" relations with Kyiv.
Source: rp.pl/PAP
