U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out on Sunday, March 30th at the leaders of both warring parties in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expressing frustration as efforts to kick-start ceasefire talks remain deadlocked.
Trump first criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for questioning the credibility of Volodymyr Zelensky as a negotiating partner, saying he was “very angry, pissed off” with the Kremlin chief.
“He’s supposed to be making a deal with him, whether you like him or you don’t like him,” Trump said, threatening secondary tariffs on firms dealing in Russian oil.
But the U.S. leader later softened his tone on Putin and instead turned his ire on Zelensky, warning him Ukraine would have “big, big problems” if he got cold feet over a deal to sign over mineral rights to the United States.
Trump is trying to broker a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and has been pushing Zelensky to sign an agreement to give U.S. firms exclusive access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals.
“We made a deal on rare earths and now he’s saying, well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal. He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that. So if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems,” Trump said.
The U.S. president has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war since taking office, but his administration has failed to reach a breakthrough despite negotiations with both sides.
Putin rejected a joint U.S.-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire, and on Friday suggested Zelensky be removed from office as part of the peace process.
europeanconservative.com / AFP
