Zelensky Opposes US Mineral Deal and Plans to Make It Public

On February 3, the US President Trump stated at the White House that he hoped Ukraine would obtain US aid by supplying resources such as rare earths to the US. According to a report, Zelensky delivered a new speech on the 19th local time, opposing the idea of "repaying with minerals" through signing an agreement to get US aid. He considered it "not a serious conversation". Additionally, he was preparing to make public the US mineral agreement plan.

Previously, Zelensky had said that he had rejected the US - proposed mineral agreement plan because it lacked "security guarantees" for Ukraine. The latest report indicated that Zelensky was ready to work on a "serious document" that included "security guarantees" for Ukraine.

Moreover, in his latest speech, Zelensky mentioned that he was going to make public the US - proposed mineral agreement plan, even though it "would not contribute to our (US - Ukraine) relationship". He said, "This document is not ready. It goes beyond my power, beyond the Ukrainian constitution and laws, and is subject to New York law."

The report quoted Zelensky as saying that he hoped Ukraine would achieve victory, yet the US plan "didn't mention a single word about (Ukraine's) security guarantees". "I'm protecting Ukraine. I can't sell it. I can't sell our country," Zelensky added.

On February 12, the US Treasury Secretary provided Ukraine with a mineral agreement plan, which was reported to involve security guarantees and the development of Ukrainian mineral resources. On the 15th, during the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said that the US mineral agreement plan lacked "security guarantees" for Ukraine, and he "didn't allow the signing of the agreement because it wasn't ready". He also said at that time that the agreement the US wanted Ukraine to sign couldn't protect Ukraine's interests for the time being.

On February 17, a report said that a White House National Security Council spokesperson claimed that Zelensky's decision was "short - sighted". Another report stated that on the same day, at a press conference, Zelensky said that if the US provided security guarantees to Ukraine, the latter would be open to signing the bilateral mineral agreement.