US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine "might be going OK", but added that "there is a time when you have to put up or shut up," speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.
His remarks follow a reported meeting between American and Russian envoys earlier this week, during which the fastest route to a ceasefire was said to involve support for a framework that would leave four eastern Ukrainian regions – which Russia attempted to annex illegally in 2022 – under Moscow’s control, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Ukrainian media expressed concern that the Trump administration may be misreading Russia’s intentions.
The Freedom television channel warned that Moscow could exploit Trump and any potential temporary ceasefire to regroup its forces and prepare for a renewed offensive.
The broadcaster also said that recognising Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, would constitute a "historic mistake by Donald Trump."
Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that Washington is demanding control over a key gas pipeline transporting Russian gas through Ukraine to Western Europe, as part of a proposed mineral deal.
The Guardian writes that President Trump wants Kyiv to transfer rights to its natural resource deposits as a form of "repayment" for military aid previously provided by the Biden administration.
Negotiations over the deal have grown increasingly tense, sources told Reuters.
The most recent US draft is described as significantly more "maximalist" than a February version, which had requested access to rare earth metals valued at USD 500 billion, as well as oil and gas assets.
According to reporting from the Financial Times and Bloomberg, Washington has asked Kyiv to renegotiate the previously agreed, but unsigned, resource agreement.
The new draft reportedly envisions broad US control over the extraction, sale, and revenue streams of Ukraine’s natural mineral deposits.
(ał)
Source: PAP, IAR, Reuters, the Guardian