Posted on 02/04/2025 7:32:41 AM PST by marcusmaximus
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to tie future military aid for Ukraine to access to its rare earth resources, calling the move "very egotistic, very self-centered."
Scholz said that Ukraine needs its natural resources to finance post-war rebuilding, not to bargain for security assistance. "That's why I think it would be better if Ukraine's resources were used for a good future," he said.
However, Ukraine appears more open to the idea — at least the opening up of its critical raw materials to allies, if not explicitly the quid pro quo suggested by Trump — than Scholz’s remarks suggest.
Sharing Ukrainian resources with allies is part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s broader "victory plan" for the war with Russia, which has been presented to foreign leaders, including Trump.
Trump, who has repeatedly hinted at scaling back U.S. support for Ukraine, suggested that American assistance should be contingent on securing rights to Ukraine’s valuable deposits. "We’re investing hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths, and I want security of the rare earths," he said in Washington.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.eu ...
tradingeconomics.com———
United States Imports from Ukraine Value Year
Iron and steel $539.00M 2023
Articles of iron or steel $188.76M 2023
Electrical, electronic equipment $93.95M 2023
Animal, vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products $69.84M 2023
Vegetable, fruit, nut food preparations $61.86M 2023
Organic chemicals $51.39M 2023
Other made textile articles, sets, worn clothing $27.66M 2023
Commodities not specified according to kind $27.45M 2023
Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers $26.75M 2023
Toys, games, sports requisites $24.78M 2023
Miscellaneous chemical products $16.62M 2023
Wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal $15.98M 2023
Dairy products, eggs, honey, edible products $15.52M 2023
Ores slag and ash $13.21M 2023
Furniture, lighting signs, prefabricated buildings $12.69M 2023
Articles of apparel, not knit or crocheted $12.65M 2023
Miscellaneous articles of base metal $11.60M 2023
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatics invertebrates $10.87M 2023
Plastics $9.99M 2023
Optical, photo, technical, medical apparatus $9.20M 2023
Oil seed, oleagic fruits, grain, seed, fruits $8.51M 2023
Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling stock, equipment $6.91M 2023
Cereal, flour, starch, milk preparations and products $6.88M 2023
Inorganic chemicals, precious metal compound, isotope $5.87M 2023
Articles of apparel, knit or crocheted $5.86M 2023
Vehicles other than railway, tramway $5.21M 2023
Beverages, spirits and vinegar $4.57M 2023
Headgear and $4.51M 2023
Rubbers $4.37M 2023
Albuminoids, modified starches, glues, enzymes $4.26M 2023
Paper and paperboard, articles of pulp, paper and board $3.87M 2023
Pearls, precious stones, metals, coins $3.81M 2023
Wool, animal hair, horsehair yarn and fabric $2.73M 2023
Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products $2.59M 2023
Cocoa and cocoa preparations $2.50M 2023
Miscellaneous edible preparations $2.26M 2023
Essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, toileteries $2.09M 2023
Articles of leather, animal gut, harness, travel good $1.85M 2023
Tools, implements, cutlery of base metal $1.72M 2023
Aluminum $1.66M 2023
Sugars and sugar confectionery $1.60M 2023
Footwear, gaiters and the like, $1.46M 2023
Carpets and other textile floor coverings $1.28M 2023
Edible fruits, nuts, peel of citrus fruit, melons $1.27M 2023
Ships, boats, and other floating structures $1.22M 2023
Aircraft, spacecraft $1.10M 2023
Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials $1.09M 2023
Knitted or crocheted fabric $954.15K 2023
Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivatives, pigments $945.67K 2023
Bird skin, feathers, artificial flowers, human hair $926.72K 2023
Works of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques $906.50K 2023
Arms and ammunition, parts and accessories $786.02K 2023
Ceramic products $730.71K 2023
Printed books, newspapers, pictures $689.23K 2023
Residues, wastes of food industry, animal fodder $674.04K 2023
Coffee, tea, mate and spices $518.30K 2023
Glass and glassware $431.11K 2023
Meat, fish and seafood preparations $413.79K 2023
Soaps, lubricants, waxes, candles, modelling pastes $381.75K 2023
Products of animal origin $348.20K 2023
Furskins and artificial fur, manufactures $322.13K 2023
Tobacco and manufactures tobacco substitutes $258.82K 2023
Fertilizers $242.75K 2023
Musical instruments, parts and accessories $218.32K 2023
Miscellanneous manufactured articles $201.62K 2023
Live animals $184.04K 2023
Base metals not specified elsewhere, cermets. $143.10K 2023
Milling products, malt, starches, inlin, wheat gluten $125.47K 2023
Lac, gums, resins $120.44K 2023
Pharmaceutical products $95.38K 2023
Special woven or tufted fabric, lace, tapestry $93.03K 2023
Cereals $77.63K 2023
Cork and articles of cork $51.46K 2023
Copper $45.31K 2023
Wadding, felt, nonwovens, yarns, twine, cordage $36.36K 2023
Umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat-sticks, whips $13.50K 2023
Manmade filaments $7.76K 2023
Clocks and watches $6.49K 2023
Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers $3.69K 2023
Live trees, plants, bulbs, roots, cut flowers $3.08K 2023
Salt, sulphur, earth, stone, plaster, lime and cement $2.15K 2023
Cotton $1.77K 2023
Vegetable plaiting materials, vegetable products $53.61K 2022
Impregnated, coated or laminated textile fabric $15.03K 2022
Explosives, pyrotechnics, matches, pyrophorics $2.41K 2022
Vegetable textile fibers not specified elsewhere, paper yarn, woven fabric $1.19K 2022
Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather $1.04K 2022
Manmade staple fibers $455 2022
Lead $476.56K 2021
Nickel $343.36K 2021
Manufacturers of plaiting material, basketwork $7.23K 2021
Zinc $3.67K 2021
Photographic or cinematographic goods $53.17K 2019
Personally, ever since the NATO nations all decided to balkanize and destabilize themselves by letting massive waves of third worlder in to be chaos agents I’m of the opinion that remaining in NATO is a liability.
Many of the mines are in Russian - speaking eastern Ukraine which has become part of the RF
Especially with the Turks, who will one day become our enemy.
We don’t want mining rights...we want the “rare earths” delivered....otherwise Ukraine will charge us for digging them up...etc
Was Germany “self centered” when it made deals for Russian petroleum despite Trump warnings that they were playing into Putin’s hands?
Trying to guilt trip Trump won’t work!
Olaf can go jack*ff!!
We’ve already paid the bill. We’re just taking delivery.
There will be war in Europe at some point. The left is dug in hard, outlawing opposition at the individual level (see UK imprisoning people for speech against government policy) or at the national level (see Germany trying to ban TWO opposition parties now) all while making their nations more chaotic and dangerous. The end game for them surely is to impose fascism to “restore order” and at some point somewhere someone is going to say “no more of this”, a Lech Walesa type, and it will be on.
When the press and dignitaries only say terrible things about you no matter what you do, you tend to tell them to F-off and just do the right things (at least if you're Trump and not a cuck like Mitt Romney and that ilk).
Many of the mines are in Russian - speaking eastern Ukraine which has become part of the RF
Hilariously, the theft of those Ukrainians mines by Putin’s regime was triumphantly celebrated HERE just a few weeks ago. I wonder how those folks cheering Russia’s banditry feel about President Trump’s proposal?
Kyiv was a “Russian speaking” area before Putin’s invasion by choice. Language does not equate to nationality. Due to history Russian was/is a lingua franca of that part of the world. Conservatives must not be duped by self serving Kremlin Bolshevik gaslighting and psywar.
The EU would rather partner with Moscow. It simplifies their account books and Putin’s mafia regime is, obviously, much much easier to bribe/corrupt than President Trump’s admin.
Sounds like a little bitch is pissed they and their EU socialists didn’t think of it first.
You’re posting this because you agree with Olaf the Oaf?
Olaf squealing because he was counting on the Putin bribes after the war ends and it’s back to business as usual. And President Trump just stuffed him.
Those regions have voted against the “Keev” political establishment and for pro-Russian affiliation ties and politicians since elections began after 1991
No way deep state would ever accept the multiple referendums that mirrored the same voting pattern. “We” don’t recognize elections or votes that don’t go our way, and call them rigged, illegitimate, coerced or whatever . And in 2022 finally led the Russian duma to vote to accept those oblasts as part of Russia
If “ Keev” was capable of living in a multi-ethnic society, and had accepted Minsk, those regions would have stayed as “ Ukraine” but with some autonomy to keep their language, schools, Church, history, identity, and heritage. But that is and has not ever been the nationalist-supremacist way of the Banderas
Even Arestovich is now honking about how “Keev” failed because of its determined ideological pursuit of a pure ( ie non Russian) identity (racial) and the repression against minorities they used to try to achieve it
You're clueless.
Olaf is globalist stooge and done everything he can to undermine Putin to the point of destroying his country's economy.
I am pretty sure the Turks are already our enemy.
Their still Muslim aren’t they?
Eventually it will be official, once Russia is out of the way.
One baddie always replaces another.
“...everything he can to undermine Putin”
So? Putin is engaged in immoral acts: targeting and murdering civilians, destroying cities, breaking international law, Law of War and many other conventions of morality and international relations. “Undermining Putin” is an obligation and the duty of all moral and responsible people.
You’re a Russo-chauvinist and imperialist so no sense discussing morality with an immoral person.
My guess is that Scholz has holdings in China.
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