Ukraine 'may be Russian someday,' Trump suggests while announcing $500 billion rare earth 'agreement'

 

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine's sovereignty could be at risk, stating that the country might ultimately come under Russian control. Regardless of how the war ends, he insisted that the U.S. should be compensated for the aid it has provided, according to an interview published by Fox News on Feb. 10.

"They (Ukraine) may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we’re going to have all this money in (Ukraine), and I say, I want it back," Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier.

Trump has repeatedly promised to negotiate a swift end to the war, now approaching its third anniversary, and has claimed that the conflict would not have occurred if he had been in office in 2022.

Building on his earlier proposal to tie U.S. support for Ukraine to access to rare earth minerals, Trump asserted that Kyiv has "essentially agreed" to a $500 billion resource deal. "I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth (minerals), and they’ve essentially agreed to do that," he said.

Ukraine has indicated its willingness to collaborate with the U.S. and other partners on resource extraction in exchange for security guarantees, though specifics of such an agreement remain unclear.

During the interview, Trump reiterated his claim that the U.S. has contributed more support to Ukraine than European nations, estimating Washington’s total aid at over $300 billion. However, congressional records show that since the full-scale invasion in 2022, the U.S. has allocated around $170 billion to Ukraine, including over $60 billion in military aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that less than half of that assistance has reached Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the European Union and its member states have provided approximately $145 billion in financial, military, and humanitarian aid since the war began.

Despite Trump's pledge to secure a peace deal within 100 days, his administration has yet to present a concrete plan. His special peace envoy, Keith Kellogg, is scheduled to visit Ukraine on Feb. 20 to discuss potential ceasefire options before presenting them to the White House.

Later this week, Zelensky is expected to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference, followed by discussions with Trump in Washington on the ongoing war and possible resolutions.

Trump also revealed that he has been in direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is planning a face-to-face meeting, effectively ending the diplomatic isolation imposed on the Kremlin leader by former President Joe Biden.