Ukraine can work on U.S. minerals deal with Trump tools - journalist Portnikov

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.  

"The terms of the deal are being presented to Ukraine in a way that guarantees it won't be signed, allowing Trump to claim that Ukraine is not being constructive. He can't, and doesn't want to, say this about Russia. When Putin tells him 'no,' he acts as if it's not really a 'no.' So, someone has to take the blame for his failure to secure a peace agreement. He can never be at fault; he’s always right, just like Putin. If two people are always right and one rejects the other, then someone else must be blamed. And that person has already been designated to be Zelenskyy," Portnikov said.

Even if Zelenskyy were to sign the deal, how could the Ukrainian parliament ratify it? Accepting such terms would mark the end for any politician or political group.

"On the other hand, we can work with the Americans using Trump's tactics – stalling, discussing the deal, continuing the debate. We don’t really risk anything. This is a typical 19th-century exploitative deal. But what happened in the 19th century when the United States’ partners violated these agreements? The U.S. sent in troops, Marines, and forced countries that refused these exploitative deals, under the Monroe Doctrine, to comply and plundered them," the journalist remarked.

Ukraine's goal is to "outplay" them. It needs to focus on how to outmaneuver Trump, knowing that he won't take any action anyway, says Portnikov. According to the draft of this agreement, Ukraine cannot alter any of its terms. So, what happens if Ukraine refuses?

"Imagine the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian parliament - ed.) has convened. Let's assume this agreement has been signed, ratified, and is now in effect. A new Verkhovna Rada gathers, and the speaker steps forward and says, 'This is an exploitative agreement.' Now, where is Trump in this scenario? Trump is the leader of the far-right forces who imposed this agreement and exploited the Ukrainian people. We went to parliament promising to cancel this deal, and we will denounce it. Then what? What can they do? Will they send troops here? Or will they launch missile strikes at us? The truth is, they can't do anything.

We need to win the war, defend ourselves, secure guarantees from Europe, and then outsmart the Americans. By 'Americans,' I mean that far-right, disgraceful faction of American society that put this president in power, along with his unprofessional, ineffective, and thoroughly immoral team — an embarrassment to the U.S. from top to bottom. We need to understand clearly that we will have many opportunities to outplay this 'thug gang' because they are scared. They won’t fight us, and they’ll wash their hands of the matter when the Verkhovna Rada rejects this agreement," said the journalist.

This agreement should neither be signed nor ratified in its current form. It remains a disgrace. And it's a disgrace to the American people as well, added Portnikov.

"I don't believe the Ukrainian people should be the ones to humiliate the American people, as it would simply reduce Americans to a primitive state. But even if we imagine such an agreement is signed, it's unclear what we are getting in return. Military aid, which will be exactly what? Let them promise 100 billion in military aid to start with. Or security guarantees, which they aren't offering us? Let them promise to deliver a nuclear strike on Moscow if Russia attacks us again. But that’s not what they’re planning. So, we can confidently disregard any agreements with them because we are not Panama or Colombia; we are not nearby. As President Trump said, we are separated by a beautiful ocean. Let him stay behind that ocean and stop interfering. His task is simple: help Ukraine defend itself against Russia. But he doesn't really want to do that. Everything he does is owed to Biden, Biden, and another 55 times Biden, not Trump," concluded the journalist.

• Chair of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada Foreign Affairs Committee, Oleksandr Merezhko, has commented on the leaked draft of the new Ukraine-U.S. mineral agreement.