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The US president has said he is waiting for a commitment to ceasefire negotiations
Ukraine has not demonstrated that it wants peace with Russia, US President Donald Trump has said ahead of American-Ukrainian talks in Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday, a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One if he would resume military aid to Ukraine if it signed a partnership with the US on the development of its critical mineral deposits.
“I think they will sign the minerals deal. But I want them to want peace. Right now, they haven’t shown it to the extent that they should,” Trump said.
“But I think they will be. I think it’s going to be evident over the next two or three days. I think, eventually, we’ll have peace,” the president added.
Trump reiterated that his priority is to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to save “human lives” on the battlefield. He said that he expected a “good result” from the planned US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
Last week, Trump halted all weapons deliveries to Kiev and restricted intelligence sharing in the hope of persuading Ukraine to be more receptive to his mediation efforts. The president has said he finds it “more difficult” to deal with Ukraine than with Russia, as Kiev attempts to mend relations in the wake of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s disastrous visit to the White House last month.
The US had originally planned to sign the minerals deal on February 28. The ceremony was shelved, however, after Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance clashed with Zelensky in front of reporters in the Oval Office. Trump later accused the Ukrainian leader of behaving disrespectfully and being ungrateful for the military and financial aid the US has been providing since 2022. Zelensky described the meeting as “regrettable” and expressed the desire to mend fences.
Russia has stated that a lasting peace is impossible without addressing the root causes of the conflict, including NATO’s expansion eastward. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine drop its aspirations to join the US-led bloc and become a neutral country with a restricted army. Russia has also said Ukraine must renounce its claim on Crimea and four other regions that have voted to become part of Russia since 2014.
