President Donald Trump was asked on Thursday about a report that the U.S. is preparing to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin economic incentives to encourage him to end the war in Ukraine—including opening up access to natural resources off Alaska’s coast.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is exploring the possibility in efforts to facilitate a ceasefire and lasting peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Why It Matters
Trump’s “America First” policy has seen him strike rare earth mineral deals with Ukraine and Kazakhstan. While the Telegraph report has not been verified and there are few details, the prospect of opening up resources near Alaska to Putin would bolster Russia’s strategic interests in the Arctic.
What To Know
When asked about offering Putin access to resources in Alaska, Trump said in part: “We’re going to see what happens with our meeting. We have a big meeting. It’s going to be very important for Russia and very important for us. And important to us since we’re trying to save a lot of lives.”
He continued, “As far as rare earth, that’s very unimportant. I’m trying to save lives.”
Trump’s comments on Thursday come a day before he’s set to meet with Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, which Putin launched in February 2022.
The White House said the Russian strongman reached out to request the meeting, and the administration has also pushed to temper expectations surrounding it. Trump said in the past that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of being elected or shortly after his inauguration.
Neither promise has come to fruition and the White House this week framed talks between Trump and Putin as a “listening exercise” and a “fact-finding” mission. Friday’s meeting will follow previous negotiations between Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin, in which the Russian president rejected a U.S. ceasefire proposal.
Although Friday’s summit is centered around ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited. The Ukrainian leader has also expressed skepticism about the outcome of the sit-down, saying earlier this week that he believes Putin will benefit significantly from his face-to-face with Trump.
Zelensky has also flatly rejected Trump’s earlier suggestion that a deal between Russia and Ukraine could involve some “swapping of territories” between the two warring nations. Russia claims to have annexed four Ukrainian territories since the war started 3 1/2 years ago. Ukrainians “will not give their land to an occupier,” Zelensky said in response to Trump’s suggestion.
The Ukrainian leader’s refusal to cede land to Russia irked Trump, who said Monday that he vehemently disagreed with him. “I get along with Zelensky, but, you know, I disagree with what he’s done,” he told reporters at the White House. “Very, very severely disagree. This is a war that should have never happened.”
Trump’s announcement about a meeting with Putin occurred as the Kremlin’s army slowly advances deeper into Ukraine—in defiance of demands from Trump and other Western leaders to cease attacks on civilian locales, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Russia and Ukraine are also far apart on their terms for peace. Zelensky has refused to agree to a ceasefire deal that doesn’t include security guarantees for his country, while Putin demands Ukraine be shut out from NATO and cede to Russia four territories Moscow claims it annexed.
Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield have also expressed little hope for a diplomatic solution to the war.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-putin-rare-earth-minerals-alaska-update-2113711