23 February 2025 , 15:09
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Donald Trump has never been one for subtlety, but his latest claim beats them all.
As European leaders are scrambling to find a way to ending Russia’s three-year war, the US president is trying to strong-arm Volodymyr Zelensky into handing over Ukraine’s vast natural resources.
According to the Republican, not only does he have a stake in Ukraine’s oil, gas, and critical minerals reserves, but he also has dibs on infrastructure and ports.
If that is not enough, the $500 billion Trump claims the industry is worth is just ‘payback’ for all the US military aid, the White House confirmed.
The Ukrainian president refused to sign the agreement, saying the US has offered no specific security guarantees.
On Friday, he said the US and Ukrainian teams were working on a deal and Trump said he expects one will be signed soon.
It has since been reported that Trump’s negotiators have threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Starlink provides crucial internet connectivity to war-torn Ukraine and its military.
This raised during meetings between Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine, and Zelensky, said one of the anonymous sources, who was briefed on the talks.
During the meeting, Ukraine was told it faced imminent shutoff if it did not reach a deal on critical minerals.
‘Ukraine runs on Starlink. They consider it their North Star,’ they warned. ‘Losing Starlink … would be a massive blow.’
After Reuters published its story, Musk posted on X that the article is ‘false’ and accused the news agency of lying.
Melinda Haring, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, said Starlink was essential for Ukraine’s operation of drones, for one.
‘Losing Starlink would be a game changer,’ Haring said, noting that Ukraine was now at 1:1 parity with Russia in terms of drone usage and artillery shells.
Ukraine has a wide range of different drone capabilities, ranging from sea drones and surveillance drones to long-range unmanned aerial vehicles.
Zelensky rejected a detailed US proposal last week that would have seen Washington and US firms receiving 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals.
A map showing where Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth is located (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
They includes graphite, uranium, titanium and lithium, a key component in electric car batteries.
Since then a rift has emerged between the leaders, with Trump denouncing Zelensky as ‘a dictator without elections’.