Trump says he will meet Zelensky to sign Ukraine minerals deal

WashingtonThe goal of French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday in Washington was Getting Europe a place at the negotiating table on Ukraine created by Donald Trump, and in which only Russia has sat for the moment. Macron leaves the White House with two statements from the Republican: that he will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, and that Russia will not oppose the sending of peacekeeping troops once the end of the conflict has been signed. The Frenchman wanted to take Trump's word for it, even though Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the meeting in Riyadh that it was "unacceptable."

"Yes, he will accept it," Trump said when asked by reporters if Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeeping troops on Ukrainian territory. "I asked him about this issue. He is not interested in a world war," he added. According to the president, European peacekeeping troops would be accepted once the truce was signed: "I don't think it would be a problem. Once the peace agreement is signed, Russia will go back to its own business, and Ukraine and Europe will do the same."

In the face of a Trump who constantly has criticised Europe for its low contribution in defence, Macron has assured that Europe is ready to get more involved in the Ukrainian conflict and send peacekeeping troops. The French president has emphasized the idea that they will be sent "after a lasting peace has been negotiated." "They will be peacekeeping troops, not combat troops," he said. He also allowed himself to make a note on Trump's statements to remind him that the EU has sent 128 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Peace without surrender

The American president welcomed the commitment expressed by Macron and described the meeting as a "step forward" to end the war. "Europe must take on that central role in ensuring the long-term security of Ukraine, something they want to do," Trump said. In turn, Macron insisted that "Europe is ready to step forward to be a stronger partner, to do more in defence and security on this continent, as well as to be a reliable partner." The French president also insisted to a very close Trump - at one point he allowed himself the confidence of putting his hand on Trump's knee - that they share the common objective of ending the war: "Our common objective is to build peace, a solid and lasting peace" in Ukraine.

Amid the numerous concessions Trump has already made to President Putin – Kiev's non-accession to NATO, the failure to restore pre-2014 borders and pushing for elections – Macron has reminded his American counterpart that "peace must not mean a Ukraine". "There must be no ceasefire without guarantees. This peace must allow for Ukrainian sovereignty and allow Ukraine to negotiate with other interested parties on issues that affect it," he said.

Natural resources agreement

At the joint press conference, Macron expressed support for Trump's campaign to obtain Ukrainian natural resources, including a large amount of rare earths. Earlier, the US president had also said that they are "exploring economic opportunities that could involve Russia, obtaining the resources that are needed while ensuring a lasting peace." Putin has said in an interview that Moscow is ready to cooperate with the US in the extraction of rare earths, Tass news agency reported.

Ukraine has so far been reluctant to sign the agreement on the exploitation of rare earths by the US, as the draft presented to Zelensky by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on February 12 did not include security guarantees to prevent further Russian aggression. Following threats from Trump, who accused Zelensky of being a "dictator," Kiev has been more receptive to closing the US exploitation deal. On Monday, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olga Stefanixina, said that Kiev is "in the final stages of negotiations on the minerals deal" with the US.

Trump has, in fact, linked Zelensky's future visit, which he said could be "this week or next week," with the signing of the agreement to exploit Ukraine's minerals. The war-torn country has about 5% of all "critical raw materials," as the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) said before the invasion took place in 2022. Trump has also said that he will meet with Putin "in due course." When one of the journalists posed a possible date of May 9, he said that it seemed "too soon." "I think [Russia] will eventually come to the table. Once the ceasefire is in place, it will be hard to go back to war. People have suffered enough," said Trump, who once again has sold himself as the initiator of negotiations in which Kiev appears to have virtually no say. "I'm glad I was able to help. There was no communication with Russia until I intervened. Biden was not talking to Putin, he was not even communicating effectively with his own team. For three years there was no dialogue," he said.

The Frenchman is the first European leader to be received by Trump this week at the White House. Shortly after Macron, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also expected to travel to the capital to give greater strength to European demands on the war. The United Kingdom, which has avoided criticizing the new president, is watching with bewilderment the change of course of one of its main partners on the other side of the Atlantic. Last week Trump criticized the two leaders, who he believes have "done nothing" to resolve the war since it broke out in 2022. He also reiterated that he did not believe Zelensky's presence at the meetings was necessary and that he "has no cards" to negotiate with.