WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump mentioned Tuesday that Ukrainian chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy had written to him to say he appreciates U.S. help for his nation in its battle with Russia and is able to signal a deal that might guarantee future American help.
In a speech to Congress following final week’s disastrous assembly on the White Home, Trump mentioned Zelenskyy had advised him that Ukraine is able to negotiate a peace cope with Russia as quickly as potential and would settle for a vital minerals settlement with the U.S. to facilitate that.
Trump’s remarks got here after Vice President JD Vance, who was a significant participant within the breakdown between the president and Zelenskyy on Friday, struck a brand new nerve with allies by providing skeptical feedback a couple of potential worldwide safety drive for postwar Ukraine proposed by Britain and France.
“Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” Trump mentioned. Quoting from the letter, Trump mentioned Zelenskyy advised him that “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians.”
“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” Trump quoted Zelenskyy as writing. “We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.”
Trump added that Zelenskyy mentioned he was able to signal the minerals deal “at any time that is convenient for you.”
Though Trump mentioned he “appreciated” getting the letter, he didn’t say if it might have an effect on his coverage towards Ukraine, which on Monday was dominated by his resolution to pause army assist to the nation.
Earlier Tuesday, Vance had mentioned the minerals deal can be a extra sensible deterrent towards Russian President Vladimir Putin than a peacekeeping drive for postwar Ukraine that features “some random country.”
The Trump administration has been making the case that tightening U.S.-Ukraine financial ties via an settlement that provides the U.S. entry to invaluable mineral deposits in Ukraine will give Russia pause about taking malign motion towards Ukraine sooner or later.
Vance didn’t point out any specific nation in his skeptical feedback a couple of potential peacekeeping mission. However the “random country” remark was seen by some lawmakers and authorities officers within the U.Ok. and France as a slight that discounted each nations’ partnership with the U.S. army in battle zones over the previous 25 years.
U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are main the decision for a post-conflict peacekeeping drive in Ukraine to forestall Russia from invading once more if Moscow and Kyiv attain a truce to place a cease to Russia’s invasion, launched in February 2022.
French troops deployed to Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, assaults on the US. And British troops have served alongside American forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and in a U.S.-led coalition towards the Islamic State group.
“For 20 years in Afghanistan, pro rata our size against America’s, we spent the same amount of money, we put the same number of men and women in, and we suffered the same losses,” Farage added. “We stood by America all through those 20 years putting in exactly the same contribution. And, all right, they may be six times bigger, but we did our bit.”
Vance on Tuesday took to social media to attempt to head off the criticism by noting that he didn’t title any nations within the TV interview. He additionally applauded Britain and France for preventing “bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond.”
Later, throughout an look on Capitol Hill, Vance underscored to reporters that “the British and the French have offered to step up in a big way.”
French Protection Minister Sébastien Lecornu, in France’s parliament, famous the transfer by Vance. “Thankfully, the American vice president corrected his comments,” Lecornu mentioned.
However in London, Liberal Democrat protection spokeswoman Helen Maguire, a former Royal Navy Police officer who served in Iraq, referred to as for the U.Ok. ambassador in Washington to ask Vance to apologize.
“JD Vance is erasing from history the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan,” she mentioned. “I saw firsthand how American and British soldiers fought bravely together shoulder to shoulder. Six of my own regiment, the Royal Military Police, didn’t return home from Iraq. This is a sinister attempt to deny that reality.”
Trump administration and Ukrainian officers, throughout Zelenskyy’s White Home go to final week, had been anticipated to log off on the vital minerals deal, meant partially to pay again the U.S. for assist it has despatched Kyiv for the reason that begin of the battle.
However that plan was scrapped because the go to was ended abruptly after Trump and Vance had a heated trade with Zelenskyy throughout Oval Workplace talks in the beginning of the go to.
Ukraine is believed to have deposits of strategically essential minerals — together with titanium. lithium and manganese — that could possibly be helpful for American aerospace, electrical automobile and medical manufacturing.
