Trump says Ukraine "essentially agreed" to give U.S. access to its $500 billion in minerals

He said this in an interview with Fox News, the New York Post reports.

“I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth [minerals], and they’ve essentially agreed to do that,” Trump stated. 

The U.S. President also noted that he expects this agreement to hold regardless of whether a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is successfully reached, claiming that the "over $300 billion" the U.S. has provided to Ukraine far surpasses contributions from other countries.

“They may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we’re going to have all this money in [Ukraine] and I say, I want it back,” Trump said. 

Exchange of Ukrainian rare earth metals for U.S. aid. Background

Earlier, Donald Trump said he wanted to negotiate with Ukraine on the exchange of rare earth elements for U.S. aid. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the American leader's proposal.

Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak suggests that the U.S. president's statement was primarily intended for the American audience.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently expressed his willingness to conclude an agreement to exchange Ukrainian minerals for U.S. military aid. At the same time, the president emphasized: Kyiv does not seek to give away its natural resources, but offers a mutually beneficial partnership for the development of countries.