President Donald Trump announced that he will send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must and will end soon.”
“I am sending Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show. WHEN AMERICA IS STRONG, THE WORLD IS AT PEACE.”
During his meeting with Zelensky, Bessent will reportedly discuss sanctions, and where funding from the United States has gone, among other issues, according to Fox News.
Among other issues Bessent will discuss with Zelensky are rare Earth minerals, which Trump has suggested Ukraine trade with the U.S. in order to receive continued military and financial support. Breitbart News reported:
Ukraine does not have a terribly large supply of literal rare earth minerals, but it does offer an abundance of other “critical” mineral resources, including lithium, titanium, beryllium, and uranium. These are most likely the minerals Trump was referring to, and they are the resources named in Zelensky’s “victory plan” — which he drafted near the end of President Joe Biden’s term but seemingly with Donald Trump in mind.
“We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths,” Trump said. “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. We want a guarantee. We’re handing them money, hand over fist.”
Zelensky has previously indicated that he is willing to enter into peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as long as the U.S. government and Europe provide “more security guarantees” that they will not abandon Ukraine.
