Boy, it’s a fast-moving and very important story since I was last with you. We've had the meeting in the White House that erupted into a row, with the American President and Vice President feeling that President Zelensky was being ungrateful.
But boy, did they snap back somehow. I think that meeting and the row were necessary.
I think psychologically, it was very difficult for the Ukrainian President to go into a room to sign a document that begins a process that accepts losing Crimea for good.
So, I understand why Zelensky wasn’t really very keen to do it.
I then thought it was only a matter of time before he came back and signed this minerals agreement.
But last night, we saw with one of the news agencies, Zelensky saying that he thought the war could go on for a very, very long time.
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I have to say, my heart sunk. And then, of course, I woke to the news this morning, unsurprisingly, that Trump said, "That's it. No more aid. It’s all over."
And then, this afternoon, we get a long statement coming out from President Zelensky. It’s very, very fulsome.
He makes it very clear that we are ready to work fast to end the war. He talks about prisoner releases, truces, and reiterates Ukraine’s commitment to peace.
He does, of course, make the point, quite sensibly, that any ceasefires would have to have Russian support as well.
He then goes on to say that, regarding the minerals agreement, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time. Now, I think this is a good thing, not a bad thing.
I think the minerals deal that the Americans have put together is actually very, very clever.
Clever in the sense that it would mean many thousands of Americans would be on Ukrainian soil, plus tens of billions of dollars of American investment.
It’s also clever because if American technology is able to extract the right quantities of rare earth metals, it will mean a lot of money—not just for America, but for Ukraine as well.
Donald Trump told Zelensky he is 'gambling with World War 3' in a fiery exchange last week
REUTERSAnd this begins a conversation, firstly about the ceasefire, which, as I say, has to include Russia.
But it also begins the conversation and the debate about whether or not the Americans, having that economic and human interest, is enough of a security guarantee, or if countries will need to send troops.
I think the real debate people are going to be having over the next weeks, possibly months—and who knows, it could even be year. Should the UK send troops to Ukraine?
