White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision not to sign the proposed agreement granting the U.S. access to rare earth minerals in Ukraine as "short-sighted," according to Tengrinews.kz, referencing "European Truth."
"President Zelensky has taken a short-sighted approach to a wonderful opportunity that the Trump administration offered Ukraine," the White House representative stated.
The spokesperson mentioned that the mineral agreement would allow American taxpayers to "recoup" the funds provided to Kyiv while simultaneously boosting the Ukrainian economy.
He added that the White House believes "mandatory economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace."
"The U.S. recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and the Ukrainians must recognize this," the spokesperson said.
Earlier, a former Ukrainian official stated that the U.S. proposal did not include any specific security guarantees for Ukraine.
"I did not allow the ministers to sign the relevant agreement because, in my opinion, it does not adequately protect us or our interests," Zelensky said on Saturday in Munich.
According to an AP source, Zelensky and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance did not discuss the details of the American document during their meeting on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.
The official noted that the meeting was "very good" and "substantive," and Vance made it clear that he and Trump’s main goal is to achieve a durable, lasting peace.
Zelensky told Vance that genuine peace requires "a strong position" from Ukraine at the start of negotiations, emphasizing that American negotiators should come to Ukraine, and that the U.S., Ukraine, and Europe should be at the negotiating table with Russia.
As previously reported, the Trump administration offered Kyiv a deal to grant the U.S. 50 percent ownership of Ukraine's rare earth minerals, but Zelensky refused to sign the document.
