MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. The United States will sign an agreement with Ukraine on rare-earth metals when there are new authorities in Kiev, Karin Kneissl, former Austrian foreign minister and head of the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues (GORKI), a research center at St. Petersburg State University, told TASS.
"I am almost certain that the US is interested in this agreement. And even if it is not [Vladimir] Zelensky who will sign it, there will be someone else from Ukraine who will get the appropriate mandate," she said. In her opinion, "sooner or later, maybe not now, but there will be some body or representative who will be able to assume the authority to conclude such agreements."
"[US President Donald] Trump has already promised this to his voters. And I understand his logic: he says that billions have gone to Ukraine, and now the US should get something in return. American companies have a huge interest in these resources," the former minister explained.
Kneissl recalled that in the past Western companies often had problems in Ukraine because of "corruption and the inability to find reliable partners." According to her, "in the end, it is easier for the United States to work with weaker states, which, unlike Saudi Arabia or Russia, are not able to dictate their terms."
On February 28, Zelensky arrived at the White House for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. During the conversation in the presence of journalists, an argument broke out between them, during which Trump pointed out Zelensky's disrespectful attitude towards the United States, and US Vice President JD Vance emphasized Zelensky's ungratefulness to Washington for the support provided to Kiev. The press conference following their meeting was canceled, and the signing of a US-Ukraine mineral deal did not take place. Trump later posted a statement on his Truth Social page emphasizing that Zelensky was disrespectful and unprepared for a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.