Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, may be pressured to give in to Donald Trump’s demands for access to valuable minerals in a peace deal, which might pave the way for Vladimir Putin to get what he wants, when the two leaders meet in Washington, D.C. on Friday.
According to a former U.S. State Department official, the Russian strongman may try to implement new invasion plans later on or there won’t be enough restrictions in the treaty to keep him from acting impulsively.
According to David Smith’s article in The Guardian, there are striking parallels between Trump’s current effort to pressure Zelenskyy and the one that led to the president’s impeachment during his first term.
“Ukraine is far, far more desperate than it was in 2019,” said Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Smith asked former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rubin to foretell the potential outcomes of the deal in the event that the United States and the president of Ukraine come to an agreement, citing the fact that their country is under constant attack from Russia and the fact that the stakes could not be higher for Ukraine.
The details, says Rubin, will be the tricky part.
“We don’t know yet about any personal benefit per se to the president but we do know that he’s using the threat of withholding of military aid and American support for Ukraine in this process as a pressure tactic to extract concessions. That’s typically what you do with your adversary,” he clarified.
Furthermore, it is completely unclear who would receive the funds in this instance as well. What is the process for doing this? In what ways will this help the American economy and our position in the world?
However, he did point out that Trump, who is a friend of Putin, may be caving in to Putin’s expansionist ambitions in exchange for his minerals deal, so the deal could just be a speedbump, The Raw Story shares.
“Who’s to say that Russia wouldn’t decide they’re going to invade Ukraine but before that they’re going to call the United States and say, we’re going to invade and take over Ukraine but that minerals deal you have with Ukraine, we will maintain and we will do it with you? Then they go and invade and the US says, well, as long as we have our deal, we’re OK with it,” but he also cautioned that “There’s nothing to prevent that.”
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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