 "US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. Source: AP")
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on Friday (February 21) said Ukraine will sign the mineral deal with the US “in the very short term”, after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected it earlier this week.
“Look, here’s the bottom line, President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term, and that is good for Ukraine,” said Waltz at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near the capital Washington DC.
Zelenskyy had earlier rejected the deal, saying it lacked security guarantees for the war-torn nation. His decision triggered a public spat with US President Donald Trump, who dubbed the Ukrainian leader “a dictator without elections”.
Waltz earlier said during an interview with Fox News this week that the Ukrainian leader needs to “tone it down” and sign the proposed agreement.
Proposed US-Ukraine nuclear deal
According to the US NSA, the proposed mineral deal with Ukraine would give American firms access to deposits of critical minerals including aluminum, gallium, and tritium.
These elements are crucial for advanced technology manufacturing such as nuclear research and semiconductors. These can also be used in manufacturing military equipment.
Waltz argues that the deal would make up for over $175 billion in American aid offered to Ukraine over the last three years of war.
Proposal first floated by Zelenskyy himself
According to the top Trump official, the proposal was first floated by Zelenskyy himself under his so-called “victory plan”.
Last week, the proposal was formally presented to Zelenskyy by the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, involving the potential of $500bn worth of rare earth element trade between the two nations. However, Zelenskyy criticised the plan for being overly skewed toward American interests and lacking adequate security guarantees for Kyiv.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTensions between Trump and Zelenskyy
The rejection of the mineral deal by Zelenskyy prompted a sharp response from Trump, who then blamed Ukraine for starting the war and called Zelenskyy a highly unpopular leader with “approval ratings of just four per cent”.
Zelenskyy responded by accusing Trump of being stuck in a “disinformation bubble” – Trump then called the Ukrainian leader a “dictator without elections”.
(With inputs from agencies)