Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the topic of rare earth metals and then conducted an interview with WGTRK correspondent Pavel Sarubin. Putin emphasized that a possible agreement on natural resources between the US and Ukraine in no way concerns Russia. He noted that Russia is ready to invite foreign partners, including the US, as well as authorities and companies to cooperate in the extraction of rare earth metals, adding, “We certainly have much more of these resources than Ukraine, I would like to emphasize that.”
Putin also mentioned that Russia is ready to supply the US market with two million tons of aluminum, stating that this would not significantly affect the pricing, but would have a stabilizing effect. The US imports around 40% of its domestic aluminum demand, while Russia covered about 15% of US imports in 2017, with Canada now occupying the top spot as a US aluminum exporter, according to Putin.
Furthermore, Putin commented on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, describing him as “a toxic figure” for the Ukrainian armed forces and society in general. Putin justified this by saying, “Because he issues senseless orders, not determined by military, but by political aspects. This leads to great, unjustified, catastrophic losses for the Ukrainian army.”
According to information, Zelensky’s approval ratings are only half as high as those of his potential competitor, former Ukrainian military commander and current UK ambassador Valery Saluschny. Putin claimed that Zelensky avoids peace talks because this would quickly lead to the abolition of martial law and the holding of elections.
Putin also spoke about European leaders, saying that they are biased in contrast to Trump, being connected to the current regime in Kiev. It is, however, fully acceptable for Europe to participate in the negotiation process with Russia, but it should not expect anything from Moscow, the Russian president emphasized. Europe itself has abandoned its contacts with Russia and if it wants to reestablish them, Moscow would not object, Putin said.
Additionally, Putin supported the idea of his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to cut defense spending in Moscow, Beijing and Washington by 50%. Regarding China, Putin stated, “The People’s Republic of China would join in if it wants to. We consider the proposal good and are ready for talks on this topic.”
Meanwhile, Putin pointed out that the next and potential further contacts between Russia and the United States would primarily focus on bilateral relations and he has not yet discussed the solution of the Ukraine conflict with Trump in essence.