Trump says Ukraine can't join NATO if it pulls out of mineral deal

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Mr Trump said: "Mr Zelenskyy is trying to pull out of the rare earths deal, and if he does that, he's going to have some very serious problems."

"We had a deal, and now he wants to renegotiate. He wants to join NATO, but that will never happen. If he continues down this path, the consequences will be huge."

Trump says Ukraine cannot join NATO if it withdraws from nuclear deal — US President Donald Trump. Photo: White House

Last month, Mr. Zelenskyy affirmed that Ukraine was ready to sign a mineral and security agreement with the United States, calling it an important step to strengthen national security. However, after a tense visit to the White House, Mr. Zelenskyy left without reaching any agreement.

Also in a conversation with the press, the US President said that he and his team are making progress in negotiating a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

Asked about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump dismissed the idea that relations were on the decline and expressed confidence that Mr Putin would not break the ceasefire. He also insisted that diplomatic deals do not depend on whether the two sides like each other.

Trump also referred to Putin’s recent statement that Zelenskyy was untrustworthy, expressing his displeasure but still believing that Russia would keep its commitments. He also stressed that he would not want to impose secondary tariffs on Russia, although the US has previously used such measures against Venezuela.

Regarding the possibility of running for a third term, Mr. Trump said that many people have mentioned the idea to him. Although he had said earlier in the day that he was “not joking” about the issue, when asked again, he declined to comment, saying: “I don’t want to talk about a third term right now. We have a lot of time. We have almost four years left.”

Hoai Phuong (according to Fox News, Independent)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-trump-noi-ukraine-khong-the-vao-nato-neu-rut-khoi-thoa-thuan-khoang-san-post340804.html