Trump Says Ukraine ‘May Be Russian Someday,’ Wants Kyiv to Trade Natural Resources for US Aid
Former US President Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine may eventually fall under Russian control as he proposed that the war-torn country share its natural resources in exchange for American assistance.
Trump, whose potential return to power has raised doubts about continued US aid to Ukraine, told Fox News on Monday that he had asked Kyiv for “$500 billion worth of rare earth.” He claimed that Ukrainian officials had “essentially agreed” to the proposal.
“Ukraine has tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things,” Trump said. “I want to have our money secured because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars.”
“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we are going to have all this money in there, and I say I want it back,” he added.
Trump has been vocal about the need for a swift resolution to the conflict and had earlier suggested the possibility of meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week.
According to CNN, Trump’s remarks are likely to be welcomed by the Kremlin, which has illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions since launching its invasion.
Meanwhile, US envoy to Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, announced plans to discuss their vision for peace in Ukraine with allies at the Munich Security Conference, scheduled for February 14-16. Ukrainian state media reported that Kellogg is expected to visit Kyiv four days later.
The Kremlin echoed Trump’s remarks, reinforcing its claims over occupied Ukrainian territories. The Russian invasion, which began in February 2022, was initially expected to quickly overwhelm Ukraine. However, nearly three years later, Russia controls only about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
In 2023, Moscow conducted a widely condemned referendum in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, attempting to justify its annexation of these areas. International observers dismissed the referendum as a “propaganda exercise,” CNN reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s stance, saying, “The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russian, and the fact that it has already become Russian is undeniable.” He acknowledged that there is a “50 percent probability” that more Ukrainian territories could come under Russian control.
During his Fox News interview, Trump claimed his administration had made “tremendous progress” in laying the groundwork for potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelensky also mentioned that “some serious people” from the Trump administration would visit Ukraine this week ahead of the Munich Security Conference, where he is expected to meet with US Senator J.D. Vance.
Trump further reiterated his interest in securing a return on US investment in Ukraine, particularly in relation to the country’s natural resources.
