Trump says Europe will make security guarantees to Ukraine, not US
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Trump's remarks during the first cabinet meeting since his inauguration follow signals by the United States and Ukraine that a minerals deal between the two countries is in place.
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President Donald Trump holds his first Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 (AP)
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he expects Europe, not the United States, to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, stating that "I am not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We're going to have Europe do that, because you know, we're talking about Europe, it's their next-door neighbor," in his first cabinet meeting since his inauguration.
Trump added that he intends to stop providing Ukraine with money and recoup what the previous President Joe Biden spent, saying "I don't want to have to pay any more money, because ... Biden has spent $350 billion, without any chance of getting it back. Now, we're going to be getting all of that money back plus a lot more."
Trump sours Ukraine-US relations
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he is seeking compensation for the billions of dollars the US gave to Ukraine during its war with Russia during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at a time when Washington and Kyiv were negotiating for a rare earth minerals deal.
Trump criticized the way the US provided Ukraine with aid and compared it to the European Union, emphasizing that Europe gave it in the form of a loan, "They get their money back. We gave it in the form of nothing," he said.
The President of the US revealed that the US is attempting to access Ukraine's rare earth minerals and oil, "We’re asking for rare earth and oil—anything we can get," he stated, adding that he believes the US is nearing a deal.
On February 17, the billionaire and current US president demanded Ukraine provide $500 billion in economic returns, raising concerns in Kyiv that the Ukrainian economy could become under US control.
The proposal sent to Ukraine suggests a US-Ukraine investment fund to ensure "hostile parties to the conflict do not benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine," and grants the US a 50% share of revenues from resource extractions, as well as half of the financial value of all new resource licenses issued to foreign entities.
Kyiv reached an agreement with the US over the minerals deal on Tuesday, where the two countries will jointly develop Ukraine's mineral resources, including oil and gas, after the US abandoned demands for a $500 billion share of potential revenue from resource extraction.
The finalized agreement, dated February 24 and examined by the Financial Times, outlines the creation of a fund to which Ukraine would allocate 50% of the revenues generated from the "future monetization" of state-owned mineral resources, including oil, gas, and related logistics, with the fund intended to invest in Ukrainian projects.
