"Trump Deploys US Troops to Ukraine After Ceasefire... Demands 50% of Ukraine's Rare Earths"

US Treasury Secretary Bessent Proposes in Kyiv on the 12th
"Possible Deployment of US Troops for Security Guarantees After Ceasefire"
Zelensky: "Needs Time to Review"

According to a report by the US NBC network on the 15th (local time), the second term administration of US President Donald Trump demanded a 50% stake in Ukraine's rare earth resources in exchange for the deployment of US troops to Ukraine as a guarantee of safety from Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, attending the Munich Security Conference which opened on February 14, 2025. Photo by the Press Office of the President of Ukraine and Yonhap News Agency

According to the report, on the 12th, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and presented this proposal along with a draft mineral agreement between the two countries. President Zelensky reportedly deferred his response and requested time for review.

After the meeting, Secretary Bessent stated that the mineral agreement would serve as a "security shield" for post-war Ukraine, and President Zelensky said he would review the draft presented by the US and hoped to sign the agreement at the Munich Security Conference in Germany from the 14th to the 16th.

According to NBC, President Zelensky stated in his speech at the security conference on the 14th that work was underway to conduct legal reviews and prepare amendment proposals regarding the US proposal.

In his speech on the 14th, President Zelensky did not use the term "security agreement" but instead used the term "memorandum."

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022 during the previous Joe Biden administration, US President Donald Trump has been demanding rare earth resources as compensation for various aid, including weapons, provided to Ukraine.

President Trump has expressed the position that a ceasefire negotiation must proceed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, while the Ukrainian side has strongly demanded that the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) devise measures to prevent the recurrence of Russian aggression to guarantee Ukraine's security after the ceasefire.