Zelensky Spars With Trump and Vance in the Oval Office, Mineral Deal Derailed

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Feb. 28, 2025

All Volodymyr Zelensky had to do was keep his mouth shut but JD Vance's smarmy attitude and moral preening was too much for him to take.




This is the moment, 40 minutes in, that it all went off the rails:


Zelensky got triggered by Vance's smarmy attitude lecturing him about "diplomacy" and complained that "nobody stopped [Putin]" from attacking Ukraine and seizing territory in 2014.

Vance didn't actually address the argument and instead pivoted to calling his pushback "disrespectful."

For all of Vance's talk about "diplomacy" it was his own stupid comments that derailed the whole meeting.



You can watch the full video here:



Missing in all the hot takes on this event is that the mineral deal is of dubious value to Ukraine, especially since it does not include any security guarantees.

From Ukrainska Pravda, "Terms of US-Ukraine minerals agreement worse than Germany's postwar reparations – Telegraph":
Donald Trump’s administration has presented Ukraine with the terms of an agreement on mineral resources in exchange for military assistance – terms that are usually imposed on aggressor states defeated in war. The conditions of this agreement far exceed those imposed on Germany and Japan after World War II.

Source: a draft agreement labeled Privileged and Confidential, dated 7 February 2025, obtained by the UK publication The Telegraph

Quote: "The terms of the contract that landed at Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office a week ago amount to the US economic colonisation of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity. It implies a burden of reparations that cannot possibly be achieved."

Details: Following the document information, the US would receive 50% of revenues from resource extraction and 50% of the value of "all new licences issued to third parties" for the future monetisation of resources. Such revenues would be "seized" in favour of the US.

"That clause means 'pay us first, and then feed your children'," a source close to the talks told The Telegraph.

The agreement stipulates that "for all future licences, the US will have a right of first refusal for the purchase of exportable minerals". Washington would enjoy sovereign immunity and gain nearly full control over a large portion of Ukraine’s raw materials economy.

A designated fund would "have the exclusive right to establish the method, selection criteria, terms and conditions" of all future licences and projects. "And so forth, in this vein," the article stated.
Zelensky was signing the deal only on the hope that further US investment in Ukraine would lead to a security guarantee and he kept trying to change the terms of the deal to include such guarantees during the Oval Office meeting. Despite his pleas, Trump wouldn't budge and said that could only be discussed in the future after the deal was signed.

Even though the situation blew up, it's still an open question whether the US will cut Ukraine off to ensure an end to the war.

Trump released the following statement on Truth Social after the meeting:
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
While Trump probably wants to end the war, the US establishment obviously does not and it's questionable whether Trump has the temerity or the will to actually do what's needed to end the war -- cutting off all aid to Ukraine.

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