Trump warns Zelenskyy of "big problems" if Ukraine rejects mineral deal

While speaking to journalists, US President Donald Trump has stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to withdraw from the mineral deal and has warned him of "big problems" if he does so.

Source: Reuters

Quote: "He's trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that he’s got some problems, big, big problems."

Details: In addition, Trump reiterated that Ukraine would never become a NATO member, despite Zelenskyy’s aspiration to join the Alliance.

"He wants to be a member of NATO, but he's never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that," he said.

Background: 

• According to Bloomberg, US officials did not raise any objections to Kyiv's concerns about the draft minerals agreement during a video call with Ukrainian officials on Friday 28 March, which may indicate that Washington is open to discussing changes to the draft. 
• Earlier, European Pravda reported that Donald Trump's administration had restored the requirement for Ukraine to reimburse all the assistance that the United States has provided after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 to the latest version of the minerals agreement.
• The revised text of the sizeable agreement states that Ukraine will undertake to compensate the United States for all aid – budgetary, military and humanitarian – provided since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted on Friday 28 March  that Ukraine is not ready to recognise the US aid provided in recent years as a debt as part of the minerals deal with the US.

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