No reason to say Ukraine's fate will be decided behind its back — military expert

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

Regarding the Trump-Putin dialogue, Dmytro Sniehyriov, military expert and co-chair of the NGO Prava Sprava, said: "Trump is fulfilling his pre-election promises to end the war in Ukraine. Again, there is no 'betrayal' regarding the claims that Ukraine is supposedly being left out of the negotiation process. Consultations are ongoing with both the Ukrainian side and the Russians regarding possible future scenarios. It’s not accidental that high-ranking U.S. officials, including the Secretary of the Treasury, have visited Ukraine, as well as the meeting at the Ramstein conference with the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that Ukraine's fate will be decided behind its back."

Sniehyriov also shared his thoughts on U.S. involvement in the extraction of natural resources in Ukraine, believing it reflects continued support from the United States.

"When I read the comments about the possibility of the United States developing our natural resources, let me explain what this is about and what the position of the United States is. The U.S. has provided military-technical assistance amounting to 100 billion. In return, the United States clearly states its plans to develop natural resources and, consequently, joint projects with Ukraine worth 500 billion. This signals to the Russian Federation that Ukraine remains not only in the military-political orbit of the United States but also in its economic one. In other words, the United States is making it clear that they view Ukraine not only as a military partner but also as an economic one, and they will defend their economic interests on our country's territory," said the military expert.

• On February 12, U.S. President Donald Trump held his first phone conversation with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin after being elected for a second term. Trump also announced Putin's visits to the U.S. and his own trip to Russia.
• On February 13, U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized that he would continue to provide aid to Ukraine, otherwise "Putin would say he won."

Exchange of Ukraine's rare earth metals for U.S. aid

Earlier, Donald Trump stated that he wants to negotiate with Ukraine about exchanging rare earth elements for U.S. aid. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the American leader's proposal.

Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak suggested that the U.S. president made the statement for the American audience.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later expressed willingness to sign an agreement exchanging Ukraine's natural resources for U.S. military aid. At the same time, the president emphasized that Kyiv does not seek to give up its natural resources but is offering a mutually beneficial partnership for the development of both countries.

On February 11, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine "has essentially agreed" to provide Washington with its natural resources worth $500 billion in exchange for military assistance.