WASHINGTON: Provisions on security guarantees for Kiev are essential to the deal with the United States regarding Ukrainian rare earth mate...
WASHINGTON: Provisions on security guarantees for Kiev are essential to the deal with the United States regarding Ukrainian rare earth materials, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said.
He said at a media briefing in the White House that Zelensky "needs to come back to the table" regarding the deal on Ukrainian resources. "And we're going to continue to have discussions about where that deal is going. Again, we have an obligation to the [American] taxpayer. I think this is an opportunity. The president [of the US] thinks this is an opportunity for Ukraine going forward. There can be, in my view, nothing better for Ukraine's future and for their security than to have the United States invested in their prosperity long term. And then a key piece of this [deal] has also been security guarantees [for Ukraine]," Waltz stated.
When commenting on the meeting between US Presidential Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg and Vladimir Zelensky, the adviser emphasized that "a key part of his conversation was helping President Zelensky understand this war needs to come to an end, this kind of open-ended mantra that we've had under the [46th US President Joe] Biden administration. That's over, and I think a lot of people are having a hard time accepting that."
"And then the other piece is there's been discussions from Prime Minister [of the UK Keir] Starmer and also President [of France Emmanuel] Macron about European-led security guarantees, we welcome that. We've been asking Europe to step up and secure its own prosperity, safety and security, so we certainly welcome that, and we certainly welcome more European assistance. As I told my counterparts, come to the table with more if you want a bigger seat at the table and we’ve been asking for that for quite some time," he concluded.
On Thursday, Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to work with the US on the investment agreement. Following Kellogg's meeting with Zelensky in Kiev, the press conference was canceled at the initiative of the US side. In recent days, relations between the United States and Ukraine have sharply deteriorated. US President Donald Trump called Zelensky a dictator and accused him of derailing the natural resources deal.
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