this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2025
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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, rejected an offer by the Trump administration to relinquish half of the country’s mineral resources in exchange for U.S. support, according to five people briefed on the proposal or with direct knowledge of the talks.

The unusual deal would have granted the United States a 50 percent interest in all of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including graphite, lithium and uranium, according to two European officials. Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, who presented the deal to Ukraine, said Sunday that the United States wanted the minerals “as payback for the aid we’ve given them” — leaving unclear whether the deal would cover future military and financial assistance.

A Ukrainian official and an energy expert briefed on the proposal said that the Trump administration sought not only Ukraine’s minerals but additional natural resources, including oil and gas. The proposal, they said, would entitle the United States to half of Ukraine’s resource earnings — funds that are today mostly invested in the country’s military and defense production.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I love going to the SanDiego area swap meets. There are at least 3 big ones.. National city, El Cajon and Oceanside. There, many people come haggle and barter to get used or grade B products. Maybe Trump should start there?

Anyone who has ever gone there knows that you don't go for the jugular of your cash cow. If you're a buyer, you wanna be a nice mosquito... Look around a few times to see what you wanna get, go elsewhere, and then come back. If you are selling, you don't kill the mosquito, buy you know how much blood to give. As a buyer you find a thing you don't want, which is similar to the thing you do want so you can trade down or somehow not show interest in the actual thing you want.

Now the entire world knows that Trump is an idiot and wants 50% of all natural resources. It could have been 90% of all uranium for example. Bug nah, look, here are all my cards! Take a good look see!

That's Trump's are of the deal and it's ass. It doesn't mater if he actually gets anything from it. Its ass. We lose, they lose, ruzzia wins. Maybe we should have a well trained Lego dealing kid to negotiate a better deal.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Did the world already not know that Trump is an idiot?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Since he showed his face probably.

[–] [email protected] 72 points 1 week ago (4 children)

So now the US are officially running a protection racket! You really do have mob bosses running the place.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

It's like that crude joke

"Would you have sex with me for 1 million? Yes. How about for 20 instead? No, I'm not a whore! We already established that, we're now negotiating the price"

First it was the rare earth worth X amount, now it's half. What's next?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

They have been doing it with Arab countries for decades. Pay up or get sanctioned, bombed, invaded and couped. What some in the West wrongly perceive as bribes are actually tributes to avoid becoming the next Iraq, Syria or Libya, or worse: Palestine.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

now

Michael Parenti was saying this in the 70s and 80s though

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

US support was never out of the goodness of their hearts, there was always going to be a price to pay, but of course trump goes about it in the most hamfisted way possible.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The US has always got the dollar-as-global-reserve-currency out of its military spending, which is a large part of how post second world war America accrued a huge portion of unearned global wealth. Trump, those that voted for him, and those that spent decades creating this situation for personal enrichment are rapidly hastening the end of this situation.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

It's not just the act of spending on the military, it's about control which they get through the use of the military.

[–] [email protected] 65 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What good is being saved from being enslaved by one dictator only to be enslaved by your "saviour" instead?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Theoretically maybe the "savior" won't shoot, maybe.

Look, it's not a good deal, but hey, I'm trying this optimism thing out. Don't think it's working.

That said, anyone who makes a deal with Trump hasn't paid attention to any of the deals he made in his last administration that he'll drop them when they're inconvenient.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think that, if Trump hadn't decided to just sow chaos for the last three weeks, all of these deals he's trying to make might actually end up with more favorable outcomes.

How is anyone supposed to trust the US in good faith when they're watching us destroy ourselves on purpose?

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I would have just pulled a Trump and agreed then reneged afterwards.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago

That works if you're in a position of power and don't need to rely on the people you're reneging on.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

It's a bold strategy, Cotton.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Sorry Ukraine, that we elected a small handed baby, who is a terrible leader. Hopefully, things work out for you. Sincerely, U.S.A.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Hopefully Europe steps up

[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The offer might have gone over slightly better if the US Secretary of Defense hadn't already ruled out NATO membership and a return to Ukraine's 2014 borders.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I'd like to see Ukraine get Crimea back but it's never going to happen. not without russias complete collapse at least

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

not without russias complete collapse at least

How far can that be anyway?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

too far, i fear

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago

not without russias complete collapse at least

Your terms are acceptable.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 week ago

Agreed. Would you also agreed to the complete collapse of the genocidal empire of the USA?

[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 week ago

Good on you, Zelensky. Do not cave.

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