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.
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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."
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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.
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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 ...
Keith Kellogg · @generalkellogg.
A long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine. Extensive and positive discussions with @ZelenskyyUa, the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war and his talented national security team.
That is the past. Ukraine will want something going forward.
Ukraine gives the few deposits of minerals under its current control to the US, but receives no payments. The majority deposits of minerals is under Russia control now and will function as payment for invading Ukraine.
A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. :)
They get their share plus the US investment on developing. If we don’t get our share and we leave, Ukraine is dead meat. They have been ripping us off for years. The Europeans loaned money to Ukraine and those loans bear interest.
If European nations want to provide that, they are free to.
What General Kellogg doink?
Anyone thinking that part of the negotiations are about “elections”?
I’ll be we let him (Zelinskyy) slide for a year on that.
Fantastic points.
Somebody is going to get a share of the natural resources in Ukraine.
America.
Russia.
I am not saying that there will be no deal. Only that this is the beginning of the negotiations. Ukraine will also get something out of it.
General Kellogg will return from Kyiv with a minerals agreement.
This explains the anger with Zelensky inside the Trump administration. The problem is also that explicit guarantees leave no "golden path" for Putin to retreat by "declaring victory."
Trump could block Ukraine from using Elon’s Starlink internet terminals if Kiev doesn’t grant access to its critical mineral reserves. .....which have been widely used by Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
And actually around half of Ukraines rare-earth deposits are “under Russian occupation”
He hasn’t done that bad so far. I just think the sudden change under Trump came as a surprise even though it was being signaled for a long time.
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