Topic: World News
by MPeriod
Posted 9 months ago
As U.S. and Ukrainian officials get ready to meet in Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump has communicated to his aides that merely signing a minerals deal with Ukraine is insufficient to resume aid and intelligence sharing. This deal would grant the U.S. a stake in Ukraine’s mineral resources. However, Trump expects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to change his stance regarding peace negotiations, including considerations to concede territory to Russia. Furthermore, Trump wants to see progress towards elections in Ukraine and possibly Zelenskyy's resignation.
Elections in Ukraine are currently on hold due to martial law, which has been in place since Russia's invasion in 2022. White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes expressed optimism about potential progress in the upcoming Saudi Arabia meetings and mentioned that Zelenskyy has shown positive movement.
Recently, Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine, resulting in one of the deadliest days for civilians this year, according to the United Nations. Although the U.S. has paused some intelligence sharing, officials believe that Russia's attacks were planned prior to this halt. The U.S. is still providing defensive intelligence to assist Ukraine in defending against attacks but is not offering specific targeting information.
Congressional Republicans are urging the Biden administration to resume aid and intelligence sharing. There is optimism that these could be restored as President Zelenskyy indicated Ukraine is ready for negotiations. However, the lack of U.S. intelligence is affecting Ukraine's daily operations, giving Russia a more advantageous position in the conflict.