How many of my Senate colleagues secretly have Ukrainian passports?
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 21, 2025
Posted on 02/21/2025 6:24:39 AM PST by marcusmaximus
U.S. and Ukrainian officials negotiated all night into Friday morning in an attempt to conclude a minerals deal and halt the deterioration in relations, a U.S. official and a source with direct knowledge of the issue tell Axios.
-snip-
The U.S. official and the source familiar said the decision is now up to Zelensky, and both expressed concern that the U.S.-Ukraine crisis will deepen if he rejects the offer.
The U.S. official called it a "make or break scenario for the Ukrainians."
-snip-
Zelensky had concerns about some provisions of the deal and the fact that it offered no security guarantees for Ukraine. The U.S. side came back with an "improved" offer earlier this week, and has now made additional modifications.
-snip-
U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg is still in Kyiv meeting with Zelensky's aides.
The Trump administration sent to Ukraine the latest version of the mineral agreement on Thursday night, the U.S. official who is involved in the negotiations and a source with direct knowledge told Axios.
The U.S. official said the modified version of the agreement is aimed at "fixing the situation" between the U.S. and Ukraine.
The official said a U.S. cabinet secretary — who is not Bessent — was empowered by Trump to make the new offer. The official declined to say which cabinet secretary.
(Excerpt) Read more at axios.com ...
Why should it come with security guarantees...The minerals are to pay off a past debt.
Was it a debt or a grant by Biden administration?
The security guarantee is having Trump invested. Putin will be directly attacking Americans developing the land if he goes in. Just as he didn’t attack the embassy he won’t attack Americans. If he doesn’t do it Trump should let him fight the rest of the war on his own (or with France and the rest of Europe)
If the US is managing the ports and many mines, how likely is it that Putin will attack these sites? If the agreement includes sites in occupied territories, the US may negotiate something with Russia from which Ukraine will indirectly receive something vs. the nothing they will receive.
It's a very subtle way of injecting the US into Ukraine without explicit US security guarantees. Putin gets to declare victory and no NATO, but Ukraine has implicit security guarantees because Russia will be unlikely to interfere with US operations. The US gets rare-earths and some cash. It's an insult to Ukraine's sovereignty, but they don't have much choice between becoming a US protectorate or a Russian one.
The art of the deal.
How many of my Senate colleagues secretly have Ukrainian passports?
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 21, 2025
I think you’re right, and I think Ukraine is not thinking this through. See my post.
And why should Ukraine hand over half of its mineral wealth for nothing in return, especially when it seems that Trump is going to fold to the Russians? This deal needs to be part of the overall negotiations.
Agree but unfortunately Zelenski is not bright enough to figure it out.
Zelensky needs to think hard about who should manage the Port of Odesa. The U.S., Russia or China?
Nothing in return? How about the 360 billion of taxpayer dollars the already got?
WATERSHED MOMENT: This is the exact moment that marcusmaximus actually posted something even SLIGHTLY negative about Zelensky or Ukraine.
Congratulations, mm, on taking that slight step towards normalcy.
I do agree this is the fine line involved.
Pretty much how it looks.
Eastern Ukrain basically will/has become a Russian protectorate and eastern Ukraine will become an American protectorate.
That is why the Euro scum are howling. They are losing all control.
Because Ukraine will have nothing at all if they do not.
It also keeps out all the globalist carpetbaggers who fomented the war to make profiteer on the Ukraine's destruction and then used the ill gotten gains to buy up the distressed assets of war torn Ukraine for pennies on the dollar just like George Soros did when the Ukraine imploded into a depression at the end of the Cold War.
Then of course, the US would fund the reconstruction of the Ukraine to turn those assets stolen from the Ukrainian for pennies on the dollar into windfall profit that would make the carpetbaggers wealthy and powerful beyond measure while making the Ukrainian people their chattle as neo serfs .
It would be carpetbaggers first and Ukrainian people last
The globalist carpetbaggers would strip mine the Ukrainian economy and the only rebuilding would be for what they owned personally. .
Trump is cutting the globalist/EU carpetbagges and grifters out of the process and he is making a deal that will preserve and develop the Ukrainian assets for the Ukraine people.
Trumps plan is MUGA - make Ukraine Great Again. It keeps Ukraine's assets Ukrainian for the people of Ukraine to fund the rebuilding of their lives and their country.
Andrzej Duda · @AndrzejDuda
A few minutes ago, President @ZelenskyyUA called me. We had a candid conversation on the heels of the recent meetings with General Kellogg and other developments. I conveyed to him that we consistently believe there is no other way to stop the bloodshed and achieve lasting peace in Ukraine except with the support of the United States.
For this reason, I suggested to President Zelenskyy to remain committed to the course of calm and constructive cooperation with @POTUS Donald Trump. I trust that good will and honesty form the foundation of the U.S. negotiation strategy. I have no doubt that President Trump is guided by a deep sense of responsibility for global stability and peace.
Andrzej Duda · @AndrzejDuda
A few minutes ago, President @ZelenskyyUA called me. We had a candid conversation on the heels of the recent meetings with General Kellogg and other developments. I conveyed to him that we consistently believe there is no other way to stop the bloodshed and achieve lasting peace in Ukraine except with the support of the United States.
For this reason, I suggested to President Zelenskyy to remain committed to the course of calm and constructive cooperation with @POTUS Donald Trump. I trust that good will and honesty form the foundation of the U.S. negotiation strategy. I have no doubt that President Trump is guided by a deep sense of responsibility for global stability and peace.
"...a U.S. official and a source with direct knowledge of the issue tell Axios."All that "sourcing" PROVES -- I tell you, it PROVES -- something."The U.S. official and the source familiar said the decision..."
"The U.S. official ...."
"The exact terms of the current U.S. offer are not clear."
"...a source with direct knowledge told Axios."
"...the U.S. official who is involved in the negotiations and a source with direct knowledge told Axios."
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