President Donald Trump warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday that he’s going to have “big problems” if he backs out of the critical minerals deal.
"I think Zelenskyy, by the way, he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal, and if he does that, he’s got some problems – big, big problems," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. "We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems."
🚨TRUMP: "Zelensky, by the way, I see he's trying to back out of the rare earth deal, & if he does that, he's got some problems. Big, big problems."
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 31, 2025
"He wants to be a member of NATO. He was never going to be a member of NATO." pic.twitter.com/v9Nw2DzWFP
Earlier this month, Zelensky said he’s “ready to sign” a critical minerals deal with Washington — a comment that came after a contentious White House meeting that ended with Zelensky being told to leave with no deal in place.
We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step toward security guarantees. But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine. We’ve been fighting for 3 years, and Ukrainian people…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2025
Zelensky reiterated that point in a lengthy statement on X days later, portions of which Trump shared during his joint address to Congress.
"Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format," Zelensky said. "We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively."
I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 4, 2025
None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under…