Donald Trump may be pursuing a mineral rights trade with Vladimir Putin and Russia, as well as Volodimia Zelensky and Ukraine.
“I think anything that will help set Ukraine’s position for peace negotiations is a positive move,” said New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and Armed Services, who recently visited Ukraine.
“What we heard right now when we were in Ukraine is that 40-50% of these mineral deposits are actually in territory controlled by the Russians. Maybe part of the deal is that President Trump is going to sign a deal with Vladimir Putin, too, on mineral rights. So… that could be a little difficult.”
Shaheen was talking about one decision podcast hosted by former MI6 chief Richard Dearrow, former CIA director Leon Panetta and reporter Christina Rafini.
Unable to expect to regain all the territory Russia took and reject Kiev’s purpose of joining NATO, Trump demanded a deal with Ukraine as a repayment of military support. On Wednesday, Trump said Zelenkey would visit Washington on Friday to sign “a very big deal that will be rare earths and other things.”
Trump did not provide details about the transaction, but added, “We’re going to let Europe do that,” and “we don’t have much security guarantee.”
Trump is scheduled to meet the star mark of British Prime Minister Kiel on Thursday. Priority said the UK is willing to donate to peacekeeping forces.
Shaheen said: And from my point of view, one of the most important aspects of that is to ensure that Ukrainians are positioned in the most positive and favorable way for them. If this deal helps with it and President Zelenskyy is comfortable signing, I will support it. ”
Shaheen said there was a visit to Ukraine where fellow Democrat Michael Bennett and North Carolina Republican Tom Tillis proved to be “persuasive and intrusive.”
The senator visited Bucha, where Russian troops carried out a massacre in 2022. The town “showed the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” Shaheen said. And it showed exactly what the murderous thug Vladimir Putin was. ”
Shaheen said the senator “meeted with Mayor Bucha and met with the priest. There were graves of hundreds of civilian masses who were killed. In that 33-day siege, more than 500 people died in Bucha (final tolls are unknown). It was horrifying. It was absolutely cruel. Find the grave and take the body out of the grave.
“We met with investigators who were investigating each murder individually. They showed us a photo of the Russian commander who issued the order. And it was very clear that the order was to do everything possible to scare civilians and reduce resistance from civilians. And for me… I thought this was a small village in the backcountry of Ukraine, but that wasn’t the case, it was on the outskirts of Kiev and the tanks were stopped quickly in the suburbs.
“So it really pointed out the harsh contrast between the Russians and the Ukrainians and what’s going on in this war.”
Trump has sparked a major controversy regarding the war in Ukraine, particularly by launching settlement talks without including the power of Ukraine or Europe, making it seem like he supports Putin and Russia.
Asked about Trump’s lie that Zelensky was the dictator who started the war, Shaheen said: And the president is wrong. He’s wrong… Vladimir Putin is a dictator. President Zelensky was officially elected by the Ukrainians, and he is more highly regarded than Donald Trump. ”
