WASHINGTON — The Kremlin on Thursday blasted President Trump’s historic mineral rights deal with Ukraine inked a day earlier, sarcastically praising the US leader for making a deal with a nation that will soon “disappear.”
“Trump has finally pressured the Kyiv regime to pay for US aid with mineral resources,” Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Telegram.
“Now, the country that is about to disappear will have to use its national wealth to pay for military supplies.”
Unlike military aid packages under the Biden administration, Ukraine would pay the United States for these weapons — benefiting both Kyiv’s defense and the US defense industry without the use of American taxpayer dollars.
“President Trump’s US-Ukraine Minerals Deal is a masterstroke,” Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) said in a post on X. “Ukraine is now a permanent partner to the United States and both sides will benefit greatly.
“The next step is strong secondary sanctions on Russia.”
The deal holds that Washington and Kyiv will split all profits from licenses for new oil, gas and minerals mining in Ukraine in a mutual fund.
While Kyiv will contribute to the fund largely through mineral profits, the US has the option to contribute to the fund by letting Ukraine purchase weapons.
Still, there are no requirements that the US must allow Ukraine to purchase weapons as part of the arrangement.
Medvedev — considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man — has previously criticized Trump, taking aim at the president on April 3 as his tariff plans rolled out — even though none of the tariffs targeted Russia.
“Trump has severely bent the global trading system, introducing tariffs against almost the entire world. The consequences will be global.” he posted to Telegram at the time.
“Counter tariffs will be imposed on US goods. Old trade chains will be broken, but new ones will emerge.”
