The rare earth minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine will serve as a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he won't be able to defeat a "sovereign, independent European Ukraine," former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker told Newsmax on Sunday.
"It gets the United States and Ukraine fully aligned," Volker said on "Sunday Report." "We had earlier the U.S. and Ukraine call for a full, permanent ceasefire, recognizing that Russia is still going to occupy a lot of Ukraine, not legitimately, but at least end the fighting."
With the deal, the two countries are aligned on wanting to develop resources, create a fund, and invest in Ukraine's redevelopment and reconstruction, he said.
"Now the United States has a stake in Ukraine's success, so these are all very good steps," he said. "They do signal to Putin he's not going to win."
Putin, however, is not ready to commit to a ceasefire and still wants to fight, "so he has to face more pressure before he gets to actually having a ceasefire, I think," said Volker.
Volker also discussed on Sunday President Donald Trump's decision to move Mike Waltz from national security adviser to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
"President Trump, of course, you know, gets to choose who his team is and where they're serving," said Volker. "Mike, whom I know, has done a good job. He is very solid on national security. He knows his stuff."
Still, he said, there were some "personality issues inside the White House," which led Trump to shift his team a bit, giving Secretary of State Marco Rubio a dual role, filling in as national security advisor until a new one is picked.
"Let Marco Rubio take on [Waltz's] role for a while and see how that goes," said Volker. "Maybe he'll bring in someone later, maybe not."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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