Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that President Trump was “very close” to signing a deal to access Ukraine's key minerals to push to end the war with Russia and referring to the Philadelphia Eagle's signature “Tush Push” strategy.
“My final indication was that it was very close to the finish line. We were… not even a one-yard line. Rubio told Fox News that the quarterback physically pushed a few yards for a touchdown.
“It's the Tash Push,” he added. “So it's close, and that's a good thing.”
Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky is heading to Washington, D.C. in the next few days to talk about negotiations with Russia to end the three-year war.
Trump met with Russian officials last week and has largely been bystanders at Zelensky and Ukraine in consultations. Trump denounced the Ukrainian leader in the war and called him a dictator.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he heard that Zelensky would be visiting the US and told him that if he wanted to come to Washington it would be “certainly” fine.
US officials say the mineral trade will benefit Ukraine. He says that this is because it serves as an incentive to provide security assurances to the country in peace negotiations.
“This is quite a thing for Ukraine. That means the US is working with them… After the conflict, they have become able to use their natural resources to not only repay American taxpayers, but also to develop the Ukrainian economy,” Rubio said.
Rubio said part of the contract's security guarantee is that the US is now a Ukrainian partner.
“People continue to use the term 'security assurance'. What Ukraine needs is truly a deterrent,” Rubio said. “They need to spend the money that everyone comes after them again in the future.”
