Part of the strategic appeal of President Donald Trump’s push to add Greenland to the U.S. involves the natural resources contained beneath the surface of the massive island. But that is not the only place the president has gone looking for rare, valuable minerals. Trump is putting much stricter conditions on continued aid to Ukraine than his predecessor, including a new demand that the nation provide payment to the U.S. in the form of its many natural assets. As The Hill reported: “We’re handing them money hand over fist. We’re giving them equipment,” Trump said Monday. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “I want to have security of rare earth,” he added, appearing to refer to rare earth elements, which refers to a specific group of materials that are only deposited in relatively small quantities and can be used in a variety of applications including electronics, health care and batteries. His bold proclamation triggered a flood of praise from social media users upset over the Biden administration’s largesse: The art of the deal! — Mr.Marshall (@MistaMarshall00) February 3, 2025 BREAKING: President Trump just announced that he is demanding Ukraine to give its rare earth minerals to the United States as payment for all the aid. “So we’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other… pic.twitter.com/M9xZbHTIMl — George (@BehizyTweets) February 3, 2025 This is a real power move. Many speculate Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have been (in part) for its rare Earth minerals. The US taking control of those minerals is something that has already been put into motion. The US will protect those minerals, thus protecting Ukraine. — Zeus (@GreyBeardOfZeus) February 3, 2025 The Associated Press also reported on the latest developments: Trump, who had previously said he’d bring about a rapid end to the war, said talks are ongoing to bring the conflict to a close. “We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to stop that ridiculous war.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Associated Press on Saturday that any negotiations between the U.S. and Russia but without his country were unacceptable. “They may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone,” Zelenskyy said. Here’s what Trump had to say about the Russia-Ukraine war a few days ago: