The president appears to have adopted a proposal first made last year that offers “strategic partners” such as the U.S. special access to Ukraine's glut of natural resources.

The U.S. president’s transactional approach builds on a suggestion Kyiv set out in its ‘Victory Plan’ aimed at retaining U.S. support.

President Donald Trump came out on Feb. 3 saying he was looking to cut a deal with Ukraine by giving the war-torn country weapons and aid in return for its “rare earths and other things.” "We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine,