Macron saves Trump-Zelensky meeting amid NATO tensions
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, intended to cancel the scheduled meeting on Friday with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. However, thanks to the intervention of French President Emmanuel Macron, the meeting will proceed as planned. This information was reported by BFM, citing sources within French diplomacy.
According to reports, Volodymyr Zelensky was informed by the American administration about the meeting cancellation. In response, the Ukrainian president contacted Emmanuel Macron, who in turn called Donald Trump, asking him to reconsider his decision. "Trump had to backtrack on the decision to cancel the meeting after pressure from Macron," emphasized BFM.
The meeting at the White House might occur in a tense atmosphere. In recent weeks, Trump referred to Zelensky as a dictator and stated that Ukraine has no chance of joining NATO. Nevertheless, during the visit, finalizing an agreement regarding the partnership in exploiting Ukraine's natural resources is planned.
Natural resources agreement
According to the "Financial Times," both sides have negotiated a draft agreement in which the United States relinquishes demands for rights to $500 billion of potential revenue from the exploitation of Ukrainian resources. The plan is to establish a fund to which Ukraine would contribute 50 percent of the proceeds from the future monetization of state mineral resources, including oil and gas. This fund would invest in projects in Ukraine.
The meeting between Trump and Zelensky, despite previous tensions, could prove pivotal for the future relations between the United States and Ukraine, especially in the context of economic and political cooperation.
