Trump says signed minerals contract lets US 'take pretty much whatever we want' from Ukraine
The Facts
- Trump said the United States has a signed contract with Ukraine on rare earth materials and can "go in there at any time we want to take pretty much whatever we want," calling it "a pretty good deal."
- Trump said Ukraine has "very rich, very fertile soil" in terms of rare earth materials and significant mineral reserves.
- The comments were made in an interview with the outlet Real America's Voice, aired Friday, with journalist Steve Gruber.
- Trump said the value of the resource access could exceed US$300 billion and could ultimately be worth more than the total American assistance provided to Ukraine, allowing Washington to recoup and exceed what it spent.
- The US-Ukraine agreement on critical minerals was signed in Washington in late April 2025 (the night of 30 April–1 May, per some accounts) after months of negotiations.
- Under the agreement as reported, the two sides create a joint investment fund; Kyiv contributes 50% of new rents and licence revenue from mineral extraction, and management rights are divided equally between the parties.
- An earlier attempt to sign the agreement failed after a public argument between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House in February 2025.
- Separately, Trump and Zelenskyy met at the White House on Tuesday, where Ukrainian sources said they discussed strengthening Ukrainian air defences, including licences to produce Patriot interceptors in Ukraine, and reviving diplomatic efforts to end the war.
- The source articles reviewed contain no Ukrainian government response to Trump's characterisation of the agreement, and do not confirm his valuation figure against the agreement's text.
Context
What does the 2025 minerals agreement actually provide for?
As described in reporting, the deal signed in Washington in April 2025 sets up a joint US-Ukraine investment fund. Kyiv contributes 50% of new rents and licences from mineral extraction, and management rights over the fund are split equally between the two sides Report İnformasiya …,Коммерсант.…,Life.ru. One account also reports that the US obtained a priority right to purchase products extracted on Ukrainian territory Аргументы и…. That structure — a shared fund with equal governance — is a narrower arrangement than the open-ended access Trump described in the interview Коммерсант.…,unian.
Where does the $300 billion figure come from?
Trump used the figure in two ways. He cited roughly $300 billion as the scale of military support he says his predecessor Joe Biden provided to Ukraine without securing repayment, and he separately said the value of access to Ukrainian resources could exceed that same amount RT,Корреспонде…,ТСН.ua. He did not name a precise valuation for the deal RT на русск…. Several outlets note he framed the arrangement as a way for Washington to recover and exceed money already spent OBOZREVATEL,Корреспонде….
Is there any disagreement about where Trump made these remarks?
Most outlets attribute the comments to a telephone interview with Real America's Voice broadcast on Friday RT,Українська …,Взгляд,unian. Two Russian-language outlets instead reported the remarks as made at a White House cabinet meeting, with one citing a recording published on the White House YouTube channel Report İnformasiya …,Коммерсант.…. The wording of the quote is consistent across all these accounts Report İnformasiya …,Коммерсант.…,unian.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Both read the agreement as converting American assistance into a financial claim — half of Kyiv's new mineral rents, shared management, a value Trump puts above US$300 billion.
- Where Left and Right split
- A country under attack being asked to pay for solidarity with its own ground, or taxpayers finally getting written terms and something back.
How left and right read it
Trump told Real America's Voice the United States can "go in there at any time we want to take pretty much whatever we want" under the signed minerals contract, valuing that access above US$300 billion — more, he said, than all American assistance to Ukraine. The agreement has Kyiv contributing half its new mineral rents and licence revenue. That is aid recast as a lien. Solidarity with a country under attack should not be priced as a claim on its ground.
A signed contract, months in the making, creates a joint fund into which Kyiv puts half its new mineral rents and licence revenue, with management rights divided evenly. Taxpayers financed the assistance. Trump puts the potential value of that access above US$300 billion, more than total American aid to Ukraine — so hold to the principle behind it: support written as terms, shared management, and something coming back.
The receipts — 65 sources
Independent coverage (65)
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