▲ Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on the 24th (local time) that he is ready to propose cooperation with the United States in the field of rare earth metals.
According to TASS and RIA Novosti, President Putin stated in an interview with Pavel Zarubin from Russian state television that Russia is prepared to jointly engage in the development of rare earths with the U.S. and other foreign partners.
He specifically mentioned the possibility of cooperating with the U.S. and other countries regarding rare earths found in Russia’s “new territories.”
These “new territories” refer to the Ukrainian areas occupied by Russia since the “special military operation” commenced in February 2022.
This statement comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media platform Truth Social that he is in discussions with President Putin not only about ending the conflict in Ukraine but also about major economic development cooperation between the two countries.
President Trump is also engaged in rare earth mineral negotiations with Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, predicted the U.S.-Ukraine mineral negotiations would be concluded this week.
President Putin remarked that the U.S.-Ukraine mineral negotiations have nothing to do with Russia, saying, “I do not evaluate or even want to think about this issue.”
He emphasized, “We have much more of these kinds of resources than Ukraine.”
Regarding President Trump’s proposal to cut military spending by half for both Russia and the United States, President Putin stated, “We think it is a good proposal and are ready to discuss it.”
He added that while he couldn’t predict China’s reaction, “If the U.S. cuts 50% and we cut 50%, then if desired, it seems like a good proposal for China to join in.”
President Putin criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting his chances of election victory are “close to zero.”
He argued that President Zelensky is avoiding negotiations because ending the conflict would necessitate lifting martial law and holding elections.
Putin mentioned that he had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which he shared the results of the Saudi meeting and said, “President Xi told me that Ukraine’s ‘peace group’ will meet soon in New York to discuss.”