Trump accuses Ukraine's Zelensky of 'trying to back out' of proposed minerals deal
Source: CNN
Trump accuses Ukraine’s Zelensky of ‘trying to back out’ of proposed minerals deal
By Lauren Kent and Alayna Treene, CNN
6 minute read
Updated 4:21 PM EDT, Tue April 1, 2025
(CNN) — US President Donald Trump accused the Ukrainian president of “trying to back out” of the minerals deal expected to be agreed between the two countries as early as this week, adding that Volodymyr Zelensky would face “big problems” if he didn’t sign an agreement. But Ukraine has highlighted that the conditions of the deal changed significantly in recent days.
“I see he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal. And if he does that, he’s got some problems. Big, big problems,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force Once on Sunday. “We made a deal on rare earth and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’”
“He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that. So if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems,” Trump said.
However, Zelensky told reporters Tuesday evening in Kyiv that “NATO membership is not a part of this deal and never was,” adding that Ukraine is “ready for an unconditional ceasefire.”
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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/31/europe/ukraine-minerals-deal-trump-zelensky-intl/index.html
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