Trump warns Zelensky on risks of exiting resource deal

During a conversation with journalists aboard Air Force One, Donald Trump addressed the situation regarding the resource agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine. The U.S. President warned Volodymyr Zelensky that pulling out from this deal could lead to "big problems." Trump mentioned that Zelensky is attempting to renegotiate the agreement concerning the exploitation of Ukrainian mineral resources.

He's trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that he’s got some problems, big, big problems. He wants to be a member of NATO, but he's never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that - warned Trump, quoted by the Reuters.

This agreement involves rare earth metals, and its renegotiation could impact Ukraine's relations with NATO. At the same time, Trump stressed that despite previous tensions, he still has faith in Vladimir Putin's good intentions.

I don't think he's going to go back on his word. I've known him for a long time. We've always gotten along well - said Trump, emphasizing that his faith in the Russian leader has not been shaken even by the "Russiagate" scandal from his first term.

As reported by Financial Times and Bloomberg, it was the United States that demanded the renegotiation of the agreement, which in its revised form would give the U.S. significant control over the exploitation of Ukrainian deposits. Ukraine is concerned that the current form of the document might jeopardize its integration with the European Union.

According to Bloomberg, the contents of the agreement suggest that Ukraine would have to return the value of financial and military aid it received from the U.S. since the start of the Russian invasion. This further complicates the situation, in which Kyiv is trying to balance various international commitments.