President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to back out of a rare earth deal with the U.S., adding if he does that he is going to have “some problems.”
“I think Zelenskyy, by the way, he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal, and if he does that, he’s got some problems – big, big problems,” Trump said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. “We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.”
Zelenskyy said last month that Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement on minerals and security with the U.S. at any time, noting that the agreement is seen as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees.
Zelenskyy’s statement came after a visit to the White House where the two leaders were expected to sign an agreement on rare Earth minerals. But the visit turned sour, and Zelenskyy was kicked out of the president’s home with no deal in hand.
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While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said he and his team were making progress on a ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia.
One reporter asked if Trump would say his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin was at its lowest point.
The president said no, adding he did not think Putin was going to go back on his word for a partial ceasefire. He also said deals are made with people whether you like them or not.
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Trump explained that Putin had said some things over the last few days about Zelenskyy not being credible, adding he was not happy about that. But, Trump added, he thinks Putin is going to be good. He also said he would not want to put secondary tariffs on Russia.
The U.S. put secondary tariffs on Venezuela, which Trump said has had a “very strong impact.”
“You know that every ship just got out and left. A lot of them left. They dropped the hoses right into the ocean, and they left. They didn’t want to be there for a minute because they didn’t want those tariffs to catch on,” Trump said. “But they didn’t want me to see them there. So, Venezuela and secondary tariffs, all secondary tariffs, are very strong, because essentially it says if you disobey our orders, you cannot do business in the United States of America, and that’s the catch.”
Trump said he plans to hit all the countries across the board with tariffs.
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“If you look at the history, and you look at what’s happened to us…take a look at trade with Asia, and I wouldn’t say anybody is doing it as fairly or nicely,” Trump said. “We’re…going to be much more generous than they were to us.”
Trump also addressed questions about possibly running for a third term, which earlier in the day he said he was “not joking” about.
Initially, Trump told reporters he was not looking at a third term, noting that people have spoken with him about a possible third term.
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He said the 2020 election, in which he lost to now former President Joe Biden, was “totally rigged,” but he would not take credit for a third try.
Trump also said his administration has had the best 100 days than any other president.
“I was with some very important people today, and they said they’ve never seen turnaround as fast as this,” he said.
As reporters continued to press him about a third term, though, Trump quickly shot them down.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he told one reporter. “I don’t want to talk about a third term now. We have a long time. We have almost four years to go.”
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