Plans to finalize a joint U.S.–Ukraine economic partnership are on hold following Trump’s White House meeting with Zelenskyy.
A deal granting the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and other natural resources would help protect Ukraine against Russian aggression, according to a snippet of a social media message reposted by President Donald Trump on March 2.
The snippet that Trump posted was an excerpt from a longer analysis by Michael McCune, an Arizona-based DJ and karate instructor who frequently comments on political topics on Facebook.
“Trump is actually protecting Ukraine without dragging the U.S. into war,” the excerpt reads. “By negotiating a mineral deal, Trump ensures that Americans will be involved in Ukraine’s mining industry. This prevents Russia from launching an invasion, because attacking Ukraine would mean endangering American lives—something that would force the U.S. to respond.”
For weeks, Trump has been discussing a deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which the United States would share in the profits of Ukraine’s future natural resource development.
Trump has presented the deal as an opportunity for the United States to recoup some of its costs of supporting Ukraine in the war and as a way to ensure compensation for future U.S. aid. Zelenskyy has been hesitant to finalize an agreement for his country’s resources without firm U.S. security guarantees.
Zelenskyy was expected to sign an economic partnership agreement with the United States during his White House visit on Feb. 28. Those plans fell through as he pushed for stronger security assurances and clashed with Trump and Vice President JD Vance over the viability of diplomacy and Ukraine’s leverage at the negotiating table.
During the contentious White House exchange, Trump said that Zelenskyy was gambling with millions of lives and would either have to strike a deal or risk losing U.S. support entirely.
The social media message that Trump reposted on March 2 praised his negotiating tactics.
“In the end, Zelenskyy will have no choice but to concede, because without U.S. support, Ukraine cannot win a prolonged war against Russia,” the post reads.
“And once U.S. companies have mining operations in Ukraine, Putin will be unable to attack without triggering massive international consequences. Don’t underestimate Donald Trump. In this game of chess, he’s 10 moves ahead of everyone,” the portion of McCune’s analysis that Trump quoted concludes.
By Ryan Morgan
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