WASHINGTON — President Trump has walked away from a potential minerals deal with Ukraine — and is suggesting the US take a stake in nuclear power plants in the war-torn country instead.
“We have moved beyond the economic mineral deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Post during her press briefing Wednesday, referring to ongoing discussions of a potential cease-fire among Washington, Kyiv and Moscow.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump spoke for approximately an hour with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — the first time the two leaders have spoken since Trump kicked Zelensky out of the White House and scrapped plans to sign the minerals deal Feb. 28.
Trump suggested that the US “could be very helpful” in running nuclear plants in Ukraine with “electricity and utility expertise,” Leavitt said, adding that American stakeholding would be best for the vital resources’ “protection.”