Russian Access to Ukraine Rare Earths Minerals Reserves for a Ceasefire; Trump’s Offer
RUSSIA – As the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday nears, a new report have suggested that one of the deals Donald Trump will offer Russia is access to Ukraine rare earths minerals reserves in the areas already under Russian control, for a ceasefire.
The other deal is the easing of US sanctions on Russia.
The US president will arrive at the upcoming Alaska summit on Friday to meet with Putin “with a number of money-making opportunities” to encourage Moscow to end the Ukraine war, British daily The Telegraph reported.
Reportedly, the offers will include opening up the US state of Alaska’s natural resources to Russia and lifting some of the US sanctions on Moscow’s aviation industry.
Giving Putin access to the rare earth minerals in the Ukrainian territories, currently held by Russia, will also be on the table, according to The Telegraph.
The report noted that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is believed to be among the officials briefing Trump ahead of his meeting with Putin.
Bessent is exploring the economic trade-offs the US can make with Russia to expedite a Moscow-Kyiv ceasefire agreement.
The Alaska talks will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which is nearing three-and-a-half years.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Trump expressed his readiness to provide his country with security guarantees.
Meanwhile, Trump on the same day threatened his Russian counterpart with “very severe consequences” if he does not agree to end the war in Ukraine during their upcoming summit in Alaska.
Trump’s remarks came just hours after he attended a virtual meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders, which the US president said was “very good.”
Although European officials have welcomed Trump’s initiative to bring peace, ending the Russia-Ukraine war, they have always been cautious, fearing that the US president might try to force Kyiv into carving up its territory.
Trump earlier said Russia and Ukraine would swap territories as part of a peace agreement.
