Zakharova compared Trump's statement about Ukraine's rare metals to an "aport" command

US President Donald Trump's statement on continued assistance to Kiev in return for Ukraine 's rare-earth metals is more reminiscent of an "aport" command than a deal, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a briefing on 6 February. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this during a briefing on February 6.

"What US President Trump said to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky (term expires in May 2024) is actually not very similar even to a deal. It looks like a command 'aport'. And this command has been practiced by the Kiev regime," she said.

According to Zakharova, Trump appears to have taken into account Kiev's willingness to "let Ukraine go under the hammer and do it for the sake of preserving US military and financial aid."

"[Kiev] decided, apparently, to approach this conflict from a commercial point of view. In a veiled form, Zelensky expressed this idea in his so-called 'Victory-Defeat Plan' in October 2024, suggesting that partners conclude an agreement with Ukraine - to quote Zelensky now - 'on joint protection of critical resources, joint investment and use of Ukrainian economic potential,'" the diplomat recalled.

In particular, Washington is interested in such rare metals as uranium, titanium and lithium, she specified.

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On February 3, Trump said that in exchange for financial and military assistance, Washington expects Ukraine to guarantee supplies of rare earth metals. He emphasized that the United States would require the EU to increase funding for Kyiv's support.

The next day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that arms deliveries from the United States to Ukraine would continue. In addition, he called Trump's proposal to continue aid to Ukraine if Kiev gives Washington access to the country's rare earth resources.

At the same time, Yulia Davydova, associate professor of the Department of Political Analysis and Social and Psychological Processes at the Plekhanov Russian Economic University, said that lithium and titanium deposits in Ukraine could be of significant interest to the US industry and the American leader. According to her, the Ukrainian territory has such metals as scandium, vanadium and beryllium.