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US and Russia held secret meetings in Switzerland, want Zelensky out (and the minerals intrigue)

2025-02-21 18:33:25Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
US and Russia held secret meetings in Switzerland, want Zelensky out (and the
Zelensky and Trump

Russia and the US met secretly in Switzerland without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while the Oval Office is already discussing a change of power in Ukraine.

In recent months, Russia and the US have held informal talks in Switzerland, with one such meeting taking place last week in Geneva during the Munich Security Conference, Reuters reports, citing sources.

According to these sources, the meetings took place during the transition period following the election of Donald Trump and only a small number of the current president's advisers were aware of them.

Meanwhile, the New York Post, citing sources close to Trump, reports that “anti-Zelensky sentiment” is increasingly emerging in the Oval Office, including discussions about elections and a complete replacement of Ukraine’s leadership.

According to NYP sources, Zelensky "would be better off leaving Ukraine immediately" and fleeing to France.

Separately, the Trump administration has given Ukraine an “improved” draft of a minerals agreement between the countries after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky angered US President Donald Trump by rejecting his initial offer, a Ukrainian official, a US official and three sources with knowledge of the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: The dispute over minerals helped ignite a broader crisis in relations this week, with Trump denouncing Zelensky as a "dictator" who chose war with Russia and Zelensky accusing Trump of swallowing Russian "disinformation."

Intrigue: Sources from both sides now say a deal looks more likely.

A source with knowledge of the matter said that some of Zelensky's aides have encouraged him to sign the updated proposal to avoid a further clash with Trump and allow the US president to justify US support for Ukraine.

"There have been significant improvements in the latest draft and it is in line with Ukrainian law," the source said.

National security adviser Mike Waltz told reporters on Thursday that Zelensky needed to "come back to the table" on the minerals issue.

"This is a negotiation. And in a negotiation, you negotiate. Ukraine wants to negotiate minerals, so we're talking about it," a White House official said.

The big picture : Ukraine is home to significant reserves of rare earth minerals, critical to the world's most advanced technologies. In total, the value of the minerals could run into trillions of dollars.

The minerals deal is not explicitly linked to any solution to end the war in Ukraine, but the two issues have clashed dramatically this week.

The idea of ​​an economic partnership between Ukraine and the US was first raised last September by Zelensky during a meeting with Trump in New York.

Last week, three hours before Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived for a meeting with Zelensky in Kiev, the US ambassador handed over a draft agreement on cooperation in mineral mining.

The draft agreement stated that 50% of the resulting revenue would be given to the US, that the agreement would be under the jurisdiction of a New York court, and the agreement would nullify any of Ukraine's other trade agreements, according to two sources who read the original draft.

During their meeting, Bessent told Zelensky that Trump insisted he sign it immediately. Zelensky told Bessent that he couldn't sign a deal he had just received.

Between the lines : Ukrainians were also disappointed that the US draft did not include any security guarantees for Ukraine and that it was being pushed on them at a time when Ukraine was also being excluded from US-Russia talks on Ukraine's future.

But they were also surprised when Trump began publicly attacking Zelensky, including over the minerals proposal.

"Scott Bessent actually went there and was treated pretty rudely because they basically said 'no,'" Trump told reporters Wednesday. "He came back empty-handed. They didn't sign the document."

A few days later, when Zelensky met with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich, they presented him with a less binding draft memorandum of understanding on mineral mining, a Ukrainian official said.

Zelensky told Vance and Rubio that he could not sign because such an agreement must be approved by Parliament, according to the Ukrainian constitution.

“This was news to us that Zelensky’s team never told us before that meeting,” a Trump administration official said. “It didn’t seem like it was in good faith.”

The White House and Zelensky's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Background: Zelensky's position on the minerals deal was one of the issues that angered Trump and other senior US officials and exacerbated existing tensions surrounding the US-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia, US and Ukrainian officials say.

"There's a lot of frustration. Vice President Vance was very frustrated leaving the Munich Security Conference. That's on top of the president [being frustrated]," Waltz told Fox News on Thursday.

"We proposed that the US co-invest with Ukraine in its economy and natural resources and become a partner in Ukraine's future. This is the best security guarantee they can hope for. More than another pallet of ammunition."

"Why are we getting backlash and abuse in the press? It's unacceptable. They need to tone it down. Take a good look at this agreement and sign it," Waltz said.

Game changer: Trump said Wednesday night that he was trying to "revive" the minerals deal.

A Ukrainian official, a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge of the matter told Axios that negotiations continued in recent days, with the U.S. presenting Ukraine with an updated version that addressed some of Zelensky's concerns.

Latest : Zelensky met in Kyiv on Thursday with US envoy Keith Kellogg and discussed the minerals deal, the battlefield situation, the return of prisoners of war, and security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a future peace deal.

After the meeting, Zelensky issued a statement thanking the US for its bipartisan assistance and support.

"Ukraine is ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement with the President of the United States. We have proposed the fastest and most constructive way to achieve results. Our team is ready to work 24/7," he said.

Waltz claimed that Kellogg had helped Zelensky understand that the war had to end.


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