JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday the US "almost" ended the suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, expecting good results from talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia tomorrow.
When asked if he would consider ending the suspension, President Trump said, "We almost did it. We almost did it," reported Reuters on March 10.
Last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday Washington had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, which increased pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with President Trump in holding peace talks with Russia.
The suspension, which could take lives by undermining Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian missile attacks, follows the cessation of US military aid to Kyiv.
Tomorrow, Washington officials will meet with the Kyiv delegation in Saudi Arabia to determine whether Ukraine is willing to give Russia material concessions to end the war. What is also in the spotlight in the discussion in Jeddah is the fate of the mineral deal between Washington and Kyiv.
President Trump expressed his optimism about the talks.
"I'm sure we'll make a lot of progress this week," he said.
Initially, President Zelensky and President Trump were scheduled to sign a mineral agreement - which would give the US access to certain mineral resources in Ukraine. However, their meeting in the Oval Room of the White House late last month turned into debate before the media, so the deal was not signed.
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Yesterday, President Trump said he thought Ukraine would sign a mineral agreement, which included Kyiv's desired security guarantee.
"They will sign a mineral agreement but, I want them to want peace. They haven't shown it as far as they should be," he said.
President Trump also said his government was considering various matters related to tariffs against Russia, adding his government was not worried about military exercises involving Russia, China, and Iran.
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