National security advisor Mike Waltz said the US deserves “payback” from Ukraine for its support against the Russian invasion and that President Volodomyr Zelensky would be “very wise” to accept the minerals deal offered last week.
The US has offered Ukraine a one-sided deal to secure access to Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals after the war, according to two people familiar with the discussions, but has not guaranteed that Ukraine would be permitted to participate in peace talks between the US and Russia about ending the war. Waltz called the deal “protection in and of itself. I can’t think of any better security guarantee than being co-invested with President Trump.”
“The American people deserve to be recouped, deserve to have some kind of payback for the billions they have invested in this war,” he said. “I think that Zelensky would be very wise to enter into this agreement with the United States.”
Zelensky, backed by European leaders, has said he won’t accept any US-Russian deal worked out without Ukrainian participation.
