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.”
President Trump meets with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on April 26, 2025. PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Firefighters work at the site of a Russian drone strike in Odesa, Ukraine, on May 1, 2025. via REUTERS
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after signing the minerals deal on April 30, 2025. via REUTERS
“Now, the country that is about to disappear will have to use its national wealth to pay for military supplies,” Dmitry Medevev said after the US-Ukraine minerals deal was inked. via REUTERS
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.”
Earlier reports by the Kyiv Post of a new $50 million deal were incorrect, The Post has learned.