US President Donald Trump said that Vladimir Zelensky wants to abandon the US resource deal and Ukraine, Reuters reports.
"Trump says Zelensky wants to abandon the deal on critical minerals," the publication says.
"He is trying to move away from the rare earth deal. And if he does that, he's going to have some problems. Big, big problems," Trump said during a conversation with reporters from the White House press pool.
Earlier, Verkhovna Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that the new draft agreement on Ukrainian resources proposed by the United States is not in favor of Ukraine. According to him, the document assumes the participation of the United States in the management of all minerals, including oil and gas, there is not a word about security guarantees for Ukraine.
Vladimir Zelensky, in turn, accused the United States of changing the terms of the agreement. He also refused to recognize the aid previously provided by Washington as a debt.
On February 28, Trump reprimanded Zelensky at the White House when he came to sign an agreement on joint development of Ukrainian subsoil. The American leader demanded that the head of the Kiev regime agree to a cease-fire and stop criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. After a skirmish with the participation of US Vice President Jay Dee Vance, the Ukrainian delegation was asked to leave the White House, the agreement was not signed.
Following the talks on March 11, in an official communique published on Zelensky's website, it was reported that the United States and Ukraine has agreed to conclude a comprehensive agreement on the development of Ukrainian mineral resources.