The White House and Ukraine are involved in a "battle of dueling narratives" over Ukraine's minerals deal, considering that three days before President Donald Trump's inauguration, the British signed an agreement with Ukraine that includes rights to the resources, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer told Newsmax Sunday.
"This is on the British U.K. website," Shaffer, the president of Project Sentinel, told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "Ukraine and the U.K. signed a 100-year deal over security guarantees and economic development."
Shaffer said he believes the strong words toward Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday in the Oval Office were the result of President Donald Trump and his team finding out "they were being played."
"We, the United States, are trying to be signed up to a deal that we provide security guarantees for an economic development deal that [British Prime Minister] Keir Starmer has already signed them up to do," said Shaffer. "So the first thing it has to do is people have to take a step back and be honest with what's really going on."
He added that he believes Trump was trying to play a "straight line deal" to sign an agreement on mineral rights, "knowing full well that the British had already signed on this three days before his inauguration."
This means that if the Europeans want the United States to continue helping them support Ukraine, "they're going to have to take a step back and start being honest with the United States about what's going on here."
The deal Ukraine signed with the U.K. commits the two sides to cooperate on defense, economic, and technology projects, including "supporting development of a Ukrainian critical minerals strategy and necessary regulatory structures required to support the maximization of benefits from Ukraine’s natural resources."
Meanwhile, Trump has been "very clear" on the Europeans' involvement in supporting Ukraine, said Shaffer.
"The other day when Keir Starmer was in the office, he asked the prime minister, Gee, can you guys beat the Russians on your own? This is all about them finally stepping up and taking responsibility for their own backyard," Shaffer said.
Shaffer also noted that Starmer has reportedly said that the agreements have been made between Ukraine and the U.K., but "'they're not really worth anything unless the United States shows up to make it all real.'"
"They're used to us showing up and paying everything," said Shaffer. "We're not going to do that now. It's not our job, not in our interest.
"President Trump wants peace. He's got a path to peace. But that requires the Europeans essentially take upon themselves responsibility. He said he has no problem with French peacekeepers in Ukraine. He has no problem with the British with their 3,000-man army at this point. If they want to do that, fine. But it's not our job to back them up."
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