‘So, we don’t feel stupid’: Trump says continued US aid to Ukraine has a price, $500 bn worth of rare earth

US President Donald Trump has said that if Kyiv wants to keep receiving aid it should be provided with $500 billion worth of  Ukraine’s mineral riches.

In an interview with Fox News, POTUS said that the US should get a share of Ukraine’s vast mineral trove to compensate hundreds of billions of dollars that Washington has spent to aid Ukraine during the course of the ongoing war.

“I told them [Ukraine] that I want the equivalent like $500B worth of rare earth. And they’ve essentially agreed to do that so at least we don’t feel stupid,” Trump said.

“Otherwise, we’re stupid. I said to them we have to — ‘we have to get something. We can’t continue to pay this money,’” he added.

Ukraine possesses extensive reserves of essential minerals and elements, including lithium and titanium, which are crucial for modern technology production. Additionally, the country has significant coal, oil, gas, and uranium deposits, though a large portion of these resources is currently located in areas controlled by Russia.

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Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been tiptoeing with the idea of allowing the US to develop his country’s natural resources so Trump can stick by his side as it continues to face Russian threats.

“The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most. I would also like to talk about this with President Trump." Zelenskyy said last week in an interview with Reuters.