US aid for Kiev: Trump wants to profit economically from the Ukraine war

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung US aid for Kiev: Trump wants to profit economically from the Ukraine war 21 hours • 3 minutes reading time US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C. With comments about the exploitation of natural resources in Ukraine in return for US military aid, President Donald Trump has drawn sharp criticism from the German government. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) condemned Trump's request to tie further defense aid for the country attacked by Russia to access to valuable raw materials. It "would be very selfish, very self-centered" to use Ukraine's resources to finance foreign defense aid, said Scholz after an informal EU summit in Brussels. "It's about Ukraine being able to finance its reconstruction," said Scholz. These are major tasks when you consider the huge destruction in the country. Therefore, the country's resources should be used to finance everything that is needed after the war. "They have great rare earths" Previously, in return for the extensive US aid to Ukraine, Trump had demanded the right to access the country's valuable raw materials. "I want to have security with the rare earths," the Republican said in Washington. "We are investing hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths." He said that Ukraine was "ready to do this." Rare earths are needed for the manufacture of semiconductors and the production of smartphones and electric cars. In the digital age, they are a strategically important asset. The USA is Ukraine's most important supporter and arms supplier in its defensive struggle against the aggressor Russia. However, Trump has already indicated several times that he could drastically reduce US support. The Republican was optimistic that a peaceful solution could be found in the war that has been going on for almost three years. "We have made a lot of progress with Russia and Ukraine," he said - without giving any details. In Kiev, there are fears that Russia could emerge victorious at the end of any peace talks. Trump once again sharply criticized his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, and accused him of letting the Ukrainians rip him off financially. "Biden never asked them for money. He never said: You have to pay. He just handed out money," Trump raged. In contrast, he himself is working with the Ukrainian government to conclude "some deals" to repay US support. Areas with valuable resources occupied by Russians In fact, President Volodymyr Selenskyj had already offered to pay for Western aid with raw materials before the US election in the fall. According to the independent Russian internet portal "Currenttime", some of the areas with rare earth deposits in Ukraine have now been occupied by Russian troops. The Krutaja Balka deposit near the port city of Berdyansk was mentioned by name. The recent advance of Russian units near Kurachowe has resulted in another deposit being lost. Nevertheless, the country still has around 20 explored fields with strategically important raw materials such as lithium, graphite, titanium and uranium. Given the dire situation in which Ukraine finds itself, the government could be forced, under pressure from Trump, to hand over the valuable resources at far below their value. Zelensky announces modernization of the army For Ukraine, Western weapons are vital to stabilize the front. But Zelensky has also announced comprehensive changes in the command structure of the armed forces. The transition to the army corps has already been approved, he said in his evening video address: "Today we discussed the approaches to appointing corps commanders: They should be the best trained, most promising officers with combat experience and modern thinking." So far, the brigade is the largest unit of the Ukrainian armed forces. Around 5,000 soldiers serve there. This formation dates back to the pre-war period, when Ukraine's military concept envisaged an army based largely on professional soldiers for limited missions. According to military experts, the structures for large-scale operations are lacking in the defense against the comprehensive Russian war of aggression. This repeatedly leads to confusion and delays - and thus to losses and defeats. For Zelensky, the upcoming modernization of the army is one of the most important tasks. In his video message, he also once again mentioned strengthening air defense as a goal - especially to protect the energy facilities that Russia is systematically destroying.