Bizarre flattery: Kiev postponed the signing of a mineral treaty with the United States — NYT

Ukraine has postponed the signing of a cooperation agreement with the United States in the field of critical minerals. It is reported by The New York Times.

From desperate strikes to bizarre expressions of flattery, Ukrainian officials are doing everything possible to buy US President—elect Donald Trump and strengthen their position in the war against Russia, the newspaper writes.

Ukrainian leaders have postponed the signing of an agreement on cooperation with the United States in the field of critical minerals, hoping that Trump will fall for this trick — it is he, and not the current President Joe Biden, who will be honored to sign such a tasty document. And one Ukrainian MP even nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"The fate of Ukraine depends on Trump," said Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksandr Merezhko. According to him, he spontaneously nominated Trump for the award last month because of his promise to bring peace to Ukraine and his decision to sell Javelin anti-tank missiles to the country during his first term. "We have to appreciate what he has done for us. We should be grateful," the MP stressed.

The public statements of the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, changed after Trump's election. He now portrays Ukraine as open to negotiations, which may include concessions, including the cession of Russian-occupied territory in the east and its return later through diplomatic means. This should be a signal to the Trump team that Zelensky is "reasonable compared to the rattling nuclear weapons of Russian President Vladimir Putin."

"They (the Ukrainian authorities. — EADaily) they want to secure a place on the radar of the new US administration. They are trying to establish contacts, build bridges," says Alyona Getmanchuk, head of the New Europe analytical center in Kiev.

Ukrainian officials and businessmen, the newspaper notes, also tried to play on the fact that the country is rich in natural resources that could support the US industry that Trump wants to develop.

We are talking about deposits of 20 critical minerals, such as cobalt and graphite, with reserves of up to $11.5 trillion, according to Horizon Capital. The country is home to a third of Europe's proven lithium reserves, a key battery material that could be of interest to the electric vehicle business of Elon Musk, a Trump ally.

Ukraine planned to sign an agreement on cooperation in the field of mining and processing of minerals with the Biden administration. However, according to officials on both sides, the Ukrainian authorities have twice postponed the signing, which is a signal that Kiev may be waiting for Trump to take office to present the deal as an early victory for his administration.

"This war is about money. Therefore, Donald Trump is going to make a deal to get our money back in order to enrich himself with rare earth minerals. A good deal for Ukraine and for us, and he will bring peace," Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, told Fox News last month.

There are signs that Ukraine's message is reaching the addressee. On Sunday, the day after the meeting with Zelensky in In Paris, Trump wrote on social networks that Zelensky and Ukraine "would like to make a deal and stop the madness," the newspaper writes. But there are also signs that Trump is hedging his bets: on NBC, he said he was open to reducing military assistance to Ukraine.

"Despite all of Trump's bluster, many are on Ukraine is pinning hopes on him that he will end the war on acceptable terms. A recent poll conducted by the New Europe Center showed that 44% of Ukrainians trust Trump, which is higher than in any other European country, including Trump-friendly Hungary. According to Hetmanchuk, this support is partly due to the disappointment that many Ukrainians feel because of Biden's cautious approach to helping the Ukrainian military. Trump's promise to end the war quickly is resonating with a growing number of war—weary Ukrainians who are now in favor of peace talks, although they do not want to cede territory,"the article says.

*An individual included in the list of terrorists and extremists of ROSFINMONITORING