U.S. President Donald Trump said he would possibly be interested in continuing U.S. aid to Ukraine in exchange for access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
“We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things,” Trump said Monday in the Oval Office.
Trump has indicated Ukraine is open to the possibility of an agreement of delivering rare earth minerals to the U.S. in exchange for the continuation of U.S. aid to Ukraine for its war against Russia, according to an Associated Press report.
“We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it,” the U.S. president said.
Rare earth minerals like those in Ukraine, include lithium and titanium. They are essential for an array of modern high-tech products.
In his daily address Monday, before Trump’s announcement, Ukraine’s president reiterated the country’s need to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing attacks. He said Russia is “focusing primarily” on Ukraine’s energy sector.
“They continue their attacks, constantly adjusting their strikes to the capabilities of our defense, making them more difficult to repel,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“There is a constant rapid evolution of electronic warfare,” the president said and urged Ukraine to “be much faster” in adjusting to the continuous changes.
The supply of air defense systems for Ukraine is another issue for the Eastern European country. Zelenskyy said that the supplies are “critical and must not stop.”
“We must constantly search worldwide for ways to strengthen defense, increase production of necessary equipment in Ukraine, expand localization of production and obtain licenses from our partners,” the president said. “This is a huge undertaking, and much of Ukraine’s future depends on it.”
Zelenskyy also said in his daily address that he talked Monday with Ukraine’s military Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi about modernizing the country’s armed forces.
As part of that discussion, the two men also talked about appointing corps commanders who “must be the most prepared, most promising officers, with combat experience and [a] modern mindset.”
While the president said, “The army must be modern,” he also said, “most importantly, it must value its people.”
Earlier Monday, Russian officials said that Ukrainian drone attacks targeted energy facilities in two regions in southwestern Russia.
Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian air defenses sparked fires at an oil refinery.
Astrakhan Governor Igor Babushkin said the Ukrainian attacks focused on fuel and energy facilities, starting a fire in his region but causing no casualties.
The officials did not give details about the sites involved in the attacks.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it shot down 70 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over the Rostov, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Voronezh, Belgorod and Kursk regions.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram the attacks damaged three houses and an agricultural business.
Ukraine’s military said Monday it destroyed 38 of the 71 drones that Russian forces launched in overnight attacks.
The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Cherkasy Governor Ihor Taburets said on Telegram that falling drone debris damaged four residential buildings.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported the Russian attack damaged a school.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
