Source: SFGate
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on U.S. interests. The proposal, which was at the center of Zelenskyy’s talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior official familiar with the talks. Zelenskyy’s decision to reject a deal, at least for now, was described as ‘short-sighted’ by a senior White House official. ‘I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,’ Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Saturday in Munich.” (02/16/25)