President Donald Trump’s ‘frustration’ with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ‘multifold,’ the White House said on Thursday.
Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz outlined what Zelensky needs to do to get back in Trump’s good graces, including coming back to the negotiating table when it comes to Kyiv’s rich mineral resources.
The president has demanded the U.S. be repaid for the financial help and military aid it gave Kyiv in its fight with Russian forces.
Waltz said Zelensky needs to show a ‘deep appreciation’ for the sacrifice the United States has made to help the Ukraine.
He also slammed Zelensky for looking past ‘a historic opportunity for America to co-invest with Ukraine in their minerals.
Trump wants Ukraine’s most valuable resources, which include minerals necessary for items like modern electronics and batteries. Ukraine has about 5% of the world’s total reserves of critical rare earths.
But Zelensky rejected Trump’s demand for $500 billion in mineral wealth as part of a repayment plan to the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Donald Trump in September
The Ukrainian president said the proposed deal did not contain the security provisions his country needs to protect it from Russian aggression.
He said the draft deal proposed the U.S. taking ownership of 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals.
‘I defend Ukraine, I can’t sell our country. I said OK, give us some sort of positive. You write some sort of guarantees, and we will write a memorandum… some sort of percentages,’ he said.
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‘I was told: only 50 (percent). I said: OK, no. Let the lawyers work some more, they did not do all the necessary work. I am just the decision maker, I don’t work on the details of this document. Let them work on it.’
Trump’s obsession with critical minerals doesn’t just include Ukraine but is part of the reason he wants the United States to take ownership of Greenland, which is also rich in rare earth minerals.
Waltz said the Ukrainian minerals would be a repayment to the American taxpayer. The U.S. has given Ukraine $67 billion in weapons and $31.5 billion in direct budget support in its fight against Russia.
‘There are tremendous resources there,’ the National Security Advisor said. ‘Not only is that long-term security for Ukraine, not only do we help them grow the pie with investments, but we do have an obligation to the American taxpayer and helping them recruit the hundreds of billions that have occurred.’
Waltz also said he didn’t understand officials who are ‘suddenly aghast’ that the U.S. is pushing for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Some Trump and Russian officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia to start talks. Ukraine wasn’t invited and Zelensky said he’d reject any peace deal he wasn’t a part of negotiating.
‘I find it kind of, frankly ridiculous, so many people in Washington that were just demanding, pounding the table for a cease-fire in Gaza are suddenly aghast that the president would demand one and both sides come to the table with talks when it comes to Ukraine. A war that has been arguably far greater in scope and scale and far more dangerous in terms of global escalation to U.S. security,’ Waltz said.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz outlined Trump’s frustration with Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a White House offer on Ukrainian minerals
The National Security Advisor joined the White House press briefing to mark one month since Trump took office.
Waltz didn’t answer a question about Trump calling Zelensky a ‘dictator,’ declining to respond when asked if the president also thought Vladimir Putin was a dictator.
But he did say Trump wants the war to end.
‘Well, look, his goal is to bring this war to an end period,’ he said. ‘Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable.’
In Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Trump administration held its first meeting with Russia on ending the war. But the talks excluded Kyiv.
Russia stood firm in its demand for a peace deal, including doubling down on the fact it would not tolerate the NATO alliance granting membership to Ukraine.
Trump also has shown his frustration with NATO, which the U.S. has membership in. He wants other allies to contribute more to NATO’s defense budget.
Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, told the BBC News that members of the alliance will have to spend ‘considerably more than 3%’ of the value of their economies on defense.
He said the process of coming up with a new target would conclude in April or May.
Under the previous target, the members of the military alliance pledged to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense per year by 2024. Twenty-three of the 32 members are expected to have achieved that.
Additionally Trump has ramped up his criticism of Zelensky.
The president sent shock waves through the world when he called Zelensky a ‘dictator without elections’ and accused him of starting the war with Russia.
‘Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
Russia started the war nearly three years ago when it invaded the Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking after meeting with top Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on February 18
Moscow is also calling on Ukraine to hold elections, which would be difficult considering the infrastructure damage in the country and all the areas of it that Russia controls.
Zelensky has been just as critical of Trump, who he said was living in a ‘web of disinformation.
He also said the world’s most powerful leaders face the ‘choice’ of being with the Kremlin or for peace.
‘The future is not with Putin, but with peace. And it is a choice for everyone in the world — and for the powerful — to be with Putin or with peace. We should choose peace,’ he said.
European leaders are trying to find a way forward and have rushed to hold their own peace talks.
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with President Trump at the White House on Monday, where he will tell the U.S. leader he cannot ‘be weak’ with Putin.
‘I’m going to tell him: ‘You can’t be weak with President Putin. That’s not who you are, it’s not your trademark, it’s not in your interest,’’ Macron said as he answered questions from the French public on social media.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also meet with Trump. His sit down comes on Thursday.
Both England and France had said they would consider sending troops to Ukraine to help it fight off Russia.