Trump's talks with Zelensky and Putin: End war, secure resources
Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would "probably" meet with President Zelensky of Ukraine next week. The meeting is expected to address issues such as rare earth metals, which Ukraine has promised in exchange for additional military assistance and efforts to end the war.
Trump also stated that he plans to speak with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The American President mentioned that he and Putin "always had a very good relationship."
"Millions of people are being killed. It’s a vicious situation. The real killing now is on the war front. It's a very flat land, and the only thing that stops a bullet is somebody's body, and you have young soldiers. So, Russia's lost about 800,000 soldiers now. Ukraine's lost about 600,000 or 700,000. I think the numbers are lower than they're giving out," Trump claims.
He also emphasized that this war would not have started at all if he were president.
Additionally, Donald Trump stated that he wants to discuss with Zelensky the issue of rare earth metals for the "security" of U.S. expenditures. He believes that Europe is investing less in the war and in Ukraine than the United States, which is why America wants something "in return."
The U.S. President announced that he would ask Europe to "equalize" expenses on supporting Ukraine. According to Trump, they amount to $300 billion on the U.S. side, although his envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, mentions $170 billion. Ukraine is expected to "secure" rare earth metals in an amount equal to the expenses incurred by the U.S.
"We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things," said Trump.
