The rare earth minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine will serve as a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he won’t be able to defeat a “sovereign, independent European Ukraine,” former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker told Newsmax Sunday.
“It gets the United States and Ukraine fully aligned,” Volker said on Newsmax’s “Sunday Report.” “We had earlier the U.S. and Ukraine call for a full, permanent cease-fire, recognizing that Russia is still going to occupy a lot of Ukraine, not legitimately, but at least end the fighting.
And now, with the deal, the two countries are aligned on wanting to develop resources, create a fund, and invest in Ukraine’s redevelopment and reconstruction, said Volker.
“Now the United States has a stake in Ukraine’s success, so these are all very good steps,” he said. “They do signal to Putin he’s not going to win.”
Putin, however, is not ready to commit to a ceasefire and still wants to fight, “so he has to face more pressure before he gets to actually having a ceasefire, I think,” said Volker.
Volker also discussed on Sunday President Donald Trump’s decision to move Michael Waltz out of being the national security advisor and reposition him as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
“President Trump, of course, you know, gets to choose who his team is and where they’re serving,” said Volker. “Mike, whom I know, has done a good job. He is very solid on national security. He knows his stuff.”
Still, there were some “personality issues inside the White House,” said Volker, which led Trump to shift his team a bit, giving Secretary of State Marco Rubio a dual role, filling in as national security advisor until a new one is picked.
“Let Marco Rubio take on [Waltz’s] role for a while, and see how that goes,” said Volker. Maybe he’ll bring in someone later, maybe not.”
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