The Ukrainian president did not feel the draft agreement included security guarantees for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told his aides to reject Trump administration officials’ proposal that would grant the United States significant access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, a Ukrainian official close to Zelenskyy confirmed to NBC News.

U.S. officials said the proposal would be a form of repayment for the support Washington has provided Kyiv since its war with Russia began, but according to the aide close to him, Zelenskyy did not feel the agreement included adequate security guarantees for Ukraine.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent first proposed the draft agreement, which would have granted the United States 50% ownership of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, to Zelenskyy last week, NBC News reported.

“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreeme

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President Donald Trump tore into former Republican Rep.

Liz Cheney on Monday after she received a last-minute pardon from former President Joe Biden,

While signing several executive orders in the Oval Office, reporters asked Trump about several major topics.

Trump issued roughly 1,500 pardons and commuted the sentences of 14 people in connection with the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney on Monday after it was revealed that Cheney had received a last-minute pardon from former President Joe Biden.

The unexpected pardon, issued just before the end of Biden’s term, has stirred significant controversy, particularly among Trump’s supporters, as Cheney was a vocal critic of the former president’s role in the January 6th Capitol riot.

Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office while signing a series of executive orders, did not hold back in his criticism of Cheney.

He described the pardon as part of a broader effort by Biden and the political establishment to “reward” figures who were opposed to him and his supporters.

“I can’t believe what’s happening,” Trump said.

“Liz Cheney has been one of the biggest backstabbers in the history of American politics, and now she gets a pardon from Biden? It’s just another example of how the system is rigged.”

Trump’s remarks come after he issued roughly 1,500 pardons and commuted the sentences of 14 individuals involved in the January 6th events.

These individuals had been charged in connection with the storming of the U.S. Capitol, and many had received support from Trump and his allies in the aftermath of the riots.

Trump’s criticism of Cheney is not new; the two have been at odds ever since Cheney voted to impeach him following the Capitol insurrection. Cheney, a former member of the House Republican leadership, was one of the most high-profile figures in the GOP to speak out against Trump’s actions before, during, and after the January 6th attack.

As of now, the full ramifications of the pardon have yet to unfold, but the political fallout is expected to be significant, especially in the context of the ongoing division within the Republican Party.

Cheney’s future political career remains uncertain, as some view the pardon as an attempt by Biden to weaken Republican opposition to his policies, while others see it as a move to reward political allies.

With tensions running high within the GOP, Trump’s attacks on Cheney may only serve to deepen the divide within the party as both sides continue to jockey for influence in the post-Trump era.

nt because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference in a quote first reported by The Associated Press on Saturday.

A U.S. official called Zelenskyy’s response to the offer “short-sighted,” adding that it would secure an “enduring partnership” between the two countries.

“Binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace. The U.S. recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and the Ukrainians must recognize this,” the official said.

U.S. officials briefed on the proposal signaled an openness to deploying American troops to Ukraine to guard the minerals — but only after a deal with Russia to end the war was agreed to.

Zelenskyy declined to sign the draft when Bessent first presented it during their meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday, saying he needed to study it and consult others about it, officials briefed on the meeting told NBC News

President Donald Trump said in a recent interview with Fox News that he wanted the United States to get $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and that Kyiv “essentially agreed to do so.”

Ukraine has some of the world’s largest reserves of titanium and iron ore, both of which are used to make a variety of technology products. Many of the minerals, however, are in areas now controlled by Russian troops, according to U.S. officials.

Ukrainian officials have said Zelenskyy has long backed the idea of exchanging “critical resources” for continued U.S. support, calling the idea part of the “Victory Plan” that he presented to Trump at a meeting last fall.

In an exclusive interview Friday at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that Ukraine would have a “low chance to survive without support of the United States,” but Trump has long questioned the amount of support the U.S. has sent to it, referring to Zelenskyy at a campaign event last year as “the greatest salesman of all time.”