Can Trump sell Ukraine’s debt to the US, EU, Russia, or China?

Trump has stated that he still hopes to sign a rare earth metals deal with Ukraine. It seems that the desire to earn a couple of hundred billion for the US has pushed aside his personal grudge against Zelensky, who did not believe that Trump's gentlemanly word and Putin’s respect for him could guarantee peace for Ukraine, writes Dr O. J. Kozerod, Vice President, Centre for European Democracy Studies, Fellow of Academy of Science of Ukraine. 

Zelensky was undoubtedly very critical during the negotiations, telling Trump many interesting details about what was happening in Crimea and Donbas during his presidency. Why Trump did not intervene then and establish peace remains unclear. Zelensky’s disclosure of this information angered the White House leader, as did his not-so-diplomatic manner of speaking, frequently interrupting almost every sentence of Trump’s. Perhaps Zelensky was overly nervous, considering that Ukraine's best assets—rare earth metals—were at stake, or maybe he was eager to demonstrate his language skills after taking intensive English lessons from his tutor.

As a result, the $350 billion deal has stalled, with Ukraine acknowledging only half of the debt. If Zelensky and Trump do not meet again, the situation will remain at an impasse. If Trump continues to demand Ukraine repay the "debt" for his lend-lease, it could logically lead to the seizure of Ukrainian businessmen’s assets and even embassy property—not the best way to resolve the issue.

The only way out would be to resell the debt to a third party. Who will be the buyer—China, the EU, or perhaps even Russia? Russia’s leadership went through the gangster era and has spent decades imposing a mythical “gas debt” on Ukraine, knowing well how to extract “billions owed to it,” even if those debts do not actually exist.

Could one imagine the US demanding debts from an ally still at war during World War II? No.

Could the Zelensky-Trump conflict push the American leader into an alliance with Iran, North Korea, and Russia? Possibly.

Perhaps Trump is not criminal enough yet and will fear the necessity of killing civilians, dividing Poland, and drenching his hands in blood.

All of this will be for the world to witness in the coming years. Not everyone imagined the 21st century like this...

Photo by White House Rapid Response, Wikimedia commons.

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