US-Ukraine peace talks stall over mineral deal
As the US initiates steps toward the Ukraine-Russia peace talks, hindrances are rearing their head again. According to the US officials, the proposal to guarantee security in lieu of access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals is a sort of repayment on their behalf. But as per their version, Zelensky isn’t comfortable with the present shape of the agreement.
Zelensky has already told his aides not to accept the Trump administration officials’ agreement, providing access to the US for 50% of the country’s rare earth minerals. A Ukrainian official close to Zelenskyy confirmed to a news channel about the Ukrainian rejection of the agreement.
Zelenskyy while talking to the press at the Munich security conference said, “I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest.” Drafted by Scott Bessent, US treasury Secretary, it was presented to Zelensky during their first meeting in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian President refused to sign it until and unless it was discussed and consulted with others. Officials who were briefed about the meeting talked about it to a leading media channel. In fact, Zelensky’s response was called short-sighted by a US official, as signing it would ensure an ‘enduring partnership’ with the country.
The official stated, “Binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace. The U.S. recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and the Ukrainians must recognize this.” American troop deployment in Ukraine was hinted upon by the US officials who had been earlier briefed on the agreement after Russia agreed to a peace deal.
Meanwhile, the EU finds itself in a quandary over its space on the issues bothering the continent, especially the Ukraine-Russia war. As a matter of fact, America off late, seems to go solo over negotiations with Zelensky sidelining the EU. Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin while talking to reporters in a briefing said, Europe’s leaders “cannot accept the fact that what was the U.S. is not the U.S. anymore.”
De Villepin added, “In the weeks and months, you will see the people of Europe waving their hand and asking from their government a very strong government.” He has been working under French President Jacques Chirac in the 2000s. While the allies search for alternatives, they are slowly coming to terms with what it means to work without the US.
Vice President JD Vance chose to be silent on the three-year-old war, apart from a direct attack on the European culture and democracy, which is a clear message to Kyiv as well. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Munich conference, “Decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending. From now on, things will be different, and Europe needs to adjust to that.”
Reference by Kremlin about peace talks
In the context of the latest developments between the EU and the US, the Kremlin talked about a recent phone call between Putin and Trump as a shift towards the peace talks directly between Russia and the United States. For that, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Saudi Arabia to start peace negotiations, sources acquainted with the matter told a news channel. The European leaders shared Zelensky’s unease over being sidelined by the US.
Ukraine, has the world’s largest titanium and iron ore reserves in the areas under control of the Russian troops, according to US officials. Both are utilized to make innumerable technology products, which roughly amount to $500 billion. The rare earth elements were talked about by Zelensky often and Ukrainian officials said that in lieu of them, continued support of the US to the country is expected.
While talking to Donald Trump last fall, Zelensky presented the idea to the US president then, while calling it a part of the ‘Victory Plan.’ In a recent interview with a news channel, Trump said that he wished for the US’s access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals adding that, Kyiv “essentially agreed to do so.”
Calling Zelensky ‘the greatest salesman of all time’ at a campaign event last year, President Trump has always questioned the extent of support to Ukraine. Yet, at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy told the same news channel’s ‘Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that Ukraine has a low survival chance without US support.
According to analysts, the Trump administration’s foreign policy aimed at stopping funds for the U.S. Agency for International Development and excluding Kyiv from the peace talks might only create opportunities for American rivals. Responding to the Saturday events in Munich, the Chinese foreign ministry talked about ‘strengthening solidarity’ and ‘practicing multilateralism’ with Germany and the European Union.
This was taken as a thinly veiled comment on the Trump reign’s whimsical attitude towards foreign policy matters. Keir Giles, a senior fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank says that European leaders can expect more of the same. “It would be astonishing if not just China, but other adversaries of Europe were not to take advantage of the split and the gaps this presents,” Giles told the above news channel.
