Donald Trump has warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he could face “big, big problems” unless he goes ahead with the deal to share Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
The US president first floated the idea, suggesting it would be a form of repayment to the States for its support and military aid to Kyiv in the three years after Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The current proposal would see US gain access to Ukraine’s oil, gas and minerals through a joint investment fund – but Zelenskyy said on Friday he would not sign it if it threatened Ukraine’s potential accession to the EU.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, the US president claimed Zelenskyy was “trying to back out of the rare earth deal”.
He continued: “If he does that, he’s got some problems. Big, big problems. We made a deal on rare earth. And now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’
“He wants to be a member of Nato. He was never going to be a member of Nato. He understands that.”
Trump is pushing for a quick end to the Ukraine war, even if it means doing so on Putin’s terms.
While claiming they were making a “a lot of progress”, the US president has acknowledged there is “tremendous hatred” between the two sides.
Trump also criticised Putin over the weekend, despite expressing his sympathies with the Russian leader in the past.
The US president said he was getting “angry, pissed off” as Putin has started “getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility”.
Moscow has falsely claimed the Ukrainian president is not the country’s democratically elected leader.
But Ukraine has been under martial law ever since the Russian invasion of 2022, which is why the 2024 presidential elections were postponed.
Trump added: “If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia.”
He said there would be a “25 to 50-point tariff on all oil”, adding: “Anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States.”
However, he noted that he and Putin still have “a very good relationship” – and a few hours later, he used a much warmer tone for the Russian leader.
Trump said: “I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
But, he warned that there was a “psychological deadline” for a ceasefire, adding: “If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it.”
Trump also spoke to UK prime minister Keir Starmer over the phone on Sunday.
They reaffirmed the need to “keep up the collective pressure on Putin,” according to a No.10 spokesperson.
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