Ukraine ‘may be Russian someday,’ Trump warns

President Donald Trump suggested in an interview with Fox News that Ukraine “may be Russian someday” and spoke about how he wants to receive compensation for U.S. aid given to Kyiv.

Newsweek has reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Trump was speaking ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s upcoming meeting with Vice President JD Vance and has talked about securing a swift end to the war with Russia on numerous occasions.

The president has also previously discussed making a deal with Ukraine regarding rare earth minerals in exchange for continued U.S. support and has criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for its financial support of Kyiv.

What To Know

Speaking to Fox News on Monday Trump said: “[Ukraine has] tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, oil and gas, and other things. I want to have our money secured because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars.”

He added: “They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They might be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday, but we’re going to have all this money in there and I want it back.”

The president also said that he told Ukraine he wants “the equivalent of $500 billion of rare earth” in return for U.S. aid, and they have “essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid.”

Zelensky has previously expressed that he is amenable to pursuing a deal with Trump and emphasized to Reuters Ukraine’s need for security guarantees.

“If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it,” he said in an interview on February 7.

The Ukrainian president also said that less than 20 percent of Kyiv’s mineral resources, including approximately half of its rare earth deposits, were currently in areas under Russian occupation.

Rare earths, a group of 17 metals are vital for the manufacture of high-performance magnets, electric motors, missile systems and consumer electronics.

Ukraine has deposits of 22 of 34 minerals that the EU has designated as critical, many of which are utilized in industries including defense, high-tech appliances, space and green energy.

Zelensky’s is set to meet Vance at this year’s annual Munich Security Conference, which runs from February 14 to February 16.

Trump said that he may meet with Zelensky in Washington next week during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on February 7.

What People Are Saying

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Zelensky wrote: “We are preparing for negotiations with our partners—both European and American—starting midweek. This includes the Ramstein meeting, discussions in Kyiv, and later, participation in the Munich Security Conference. It is crucial that we all work together to bring about real peace and effective security guarantees—the security of our people, our state, our economic relations, and, importantly, our resource resilience—not just for Ukraine, but for the entire free world. All of this is being decided now—by Ukraine and our partners. Peace is always a collective effort.”

Prem Sikka, an emeritus professor of accounting, wrote on X: “Ukraine ‘may be Russian someday’, Trump says. He wants rare minerals in return for US aid to Ukraine. This after unleashing trade wars, making land grabs in Greenland, Canada, Panama and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Is he playing a computer game?”

Oleg Kostour, a Ukrainian app founder, wrote on X: “Buying weapons is fine. Fair trade. But there is no world where I ‘may be Russian one day.’ We have our own language. We are our own people.”

What Happens Next

Following Trump’s recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, it remains to be seen how discussions with Zelensky will affect future peace negotiations.