LOS ANGELES.–Plowing ahead to normalize U.S.-Russian relations, 78-year-old President Donald Trump said enough with Ukraine and moved ahead to coordinate new projects in Russia for rare earth minerals. Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky was supposed to sign a rare earth mineral deal before Zelensky blew up at Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. Zelensky has proved to be a volatile ally now that Trump has not gone along with former President Joe’s Biden’s blank check to fund the Ukraine War. Zelensky thought the gravy train would go on foreve with Biden promising to fund proxy war with the Kremlin as long as it takes to oust Russian troops from Ukraine. Trump sized up the situation and said “no way.” Zelensky keeps asking for more cash-and-weapons but Trump figured out the outcome of the Ukraine War wouldn’t change one bit.
Moving ahead with a rare earth mineral deal is going to infuriate Zelensky, if he weren’t mad enough at Trump change of policy. Zelensky could, under Biden, count on the permanent spigot to the U.S. Treasury, pouring untold billions into Ukraine to pay for its civil servants and the war with the Kremlin. Biden never mentioned that he was paying Zelensky to keep the government open because the war with the Kremlin had bankrupted the Kiev government. Without U.S. funding, Zelensky could not pay his own salary and benefits, let alone of his executive team and civil servants. “Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation and, of course, we have begun discussions on various rare earth metals and [other] projects in Russia,” said Krill Dmitriev, CEO of Russia’s Direct investment fund. Zelensky will fume over the fact that Trump has moved on to normalize U.S.-Russian relations.
Putin offered Trump a deal he once envisioned in Ukraine to help pay back the U.S. for its massive investment in its security. When you consider nearly $300 billion spent, you’d think Zelensky would want to make it worthwhile for the U.S. But only yesterday Zelensky said that all monies paid to Ukraine by the U.S. or NATO countries would not be considered a repayable loans, meaning Zelensky has no intention of paying anything back. If that doesn’t tell you the whole story about Zelensky, nothing will. He’s taken billions from the U.S. Treasury without any intent of paying it back even with a joint investment. Putin’s offer to partner with Russia shows he more of a businessman than Zelensky, who only wants more cash-and-arms from the U.S. to fight the Ukraine War. Trump hasn’t yet told Zelensky that he’ll have to find an alternative funding source to the U.S. Treasury.
Dimitriev was part of the negotiating team that met recently in Saudi Arabia said he was approached to a number of U.S. companies looking to get involved in a joint rare earth minerals deal with Russia. Gone are the days when Zelensky and the EU can brow beat the U.S. into more war in Ukraine. Trump has moved beyond the Biden proxy war strategy, seeing to degrade the Russian military. Trump wants to restore U.S.-Russian cooperation on a wide variety of projects leading to nuclear nonproliferation talks and strategic global initiatives for business and world peace. Zelensky would have the U.S. mired in proxy war with the Kremlin indefinitely. Hopefully Zelensky gets the message that exploring rare earth minerals directly relates to his Feb. 28 blow up in the Oval Office. Trump has had just about enough from Zelensky, acting like no U.S. ally.
Investia reported that in the next round of talks in Saudi Arabia, more will be discussed about the rare earth mineral deal. Whether or not realized by Trump, developing more business ties with Russia will eventually lead to his ceasefire and peace deal. Putin wants peace just not on Zelensky’s terms that would have Putin incarcerated and charged with war crimes. Zelensky has many demands to any future peace, all of which unrealistic, proving to everyone he just wants the EU to take over from the U.S.funding the war. But the EU has some big decisions to make of whether they want their name on funding proxy war with the Kremlin. It was one thing for Biden to take on that burden but not something that the EU wants to undertake no matter what kind of support they wish to give Zelensky. Zelensky wants it all but now must face the music of losing the war.
Trump wants to compete with China, now the dominant player in mining rare earth minerals. Ukraine pretended it wanted a rare earth mineral deal but Trump isn’t going to beg him to revive the deal that was pulled once Zelensky was ousted from the White House. Watching Trump work on a new rare earth mineral deal with Russia is bound to infuriate Zelensky who’s currently trying to cajole the EU into paying to continue the Ukraine War. Trump wants the war to end because it continues to destroy Ukraine, losing more sovereign territory by the day. Putin hasn’t signed onto a ceasefire yet because he sees no sincerity for peace with Zelensky. He sees Ukraine leader has trying to get the EU to fund the next round of proxy war with the Kremlin even if Trump has bailed out. Putin needs more guarantees before he’s ready to sign a ceasefire deal.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
