Zelensky Says Ready to Quit if it Brings Peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky resisted US demands for Ukraine's vital minerals and other natural resources as part of war-ending talks, saying he was "ready" to step down as leader if it would benefit his nation and that he could exchange it for NATO membership.
Asked at a press conference Sunday if he was ready to quit if it ensures peace for Ukraine, Zelensky said: “If [it guarantees] peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to resign, I am ready. I can exchange it for NATO.”
Earlier this month, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that Kyiv joining NATO was unrealistic, upending the alliance’s stated policy that Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to membership.
The Ukrainian president’s remarks come amid an ongoing spat with US President Donald Trump, who has called Zelensky a “dictator” for not holding elections while Ukraine remains at war.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion three years ago. The martial law prohibits elections.
Zelensky on Sunday also pushed back against Trump’s demand for a $500 billion share of Ukraine’s deposits of rare earths and other minerals as part of a draft “deal” Trump said would reflect the amount of aid the US has provided to Ukraine during its war with Russia.
“I am not going to recognize $500 billion,” Zelensky said during a press conference at a forum marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Drawing on Ukraine’s resources to pay back the sum could take 250 years, Zelensky said, adding that he could not sign anything that “ten generations of Ukrainians” would have to pay back.
The US was one of Ukraine’s closest allies under the Biden administration, providing the country with tens of billions worth of military aid. But Trump has made it clear that he thinks the US should no longer send aid to Ukraine without getting anything in return.
Ukraine has been pushing for US security guarantees to be part of any deal involving its mineral wealth.
SOURCE: CNN NEWS(YAHOO)
Tags: Ukraine Rusia War Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelenskiy
