A change in Donald Trump’s stance on the issue of a land swap between Ukraine and Russia appears, according to NBC, to have occurred during his consultations in the previous hours with European leaders, as the US president appears to have told them that he does not plan to talk about the territory issue in his one-on-one meeting with the Russian president in Alaska.

According to the US network, which cited two European officials and three other officials briefed on the Trump-Europeans conversation, the US president made the point in a phone call with European leaders on Wednesday

Trump reportedly said he would go to the meeting with Putin to secure a cease-fire in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was also in the conversation, with some of those in attendance getting the impression that Trump is not optimistic about Friday’s meeting.

The proposal on minerals and rare earths

At the same time, Britain’s Telegraph is reporting that Trump is preparing to offer Putin access to rare minerals to encourage him to end the war in Ukraine.

According to the report, Trump’s proposal would include opening up the natural resources of Alaska to Moscow, lifting some US sanctions against the Russian aviation industry, and providing access to rare earth minerals in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.

Preparing this proposal appears to be US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who, according to the report, is exploring what financial compensation the US can offer Russia to speed up the ceasefire agreement.

Ukraine is estimated to have 10% of the world’s reserves of lithium, which is used in battery production. Two of the largest lithium deposits are in areas held by Russia, and Putin has claimed the valuable minerals in areas held by his forces.

“There are several incentives, among which could be a possible minerals/rare metals deal,” a source with knowledge of the proposals told the Telegraph.

In May, the US signed a mineral rare earth deal with Kiev, allowing it to exploit Ukraine’s rich natural resources. Washington would have to set up new mining operations, which could be accelerated with Russia’s cooperation.

Other incentives include lifting bans on the export of spare parts and equipment needed to maintain Russian aircraft, many of which have fallen into disrepair.

Western countries have restricted Moscow’s access to critical spare parts and other equipment since its full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, forcing airlines and the military to destroy old aircraft to find spare parts.

Nearly 30 percent of Russia’s Western-built aircraft that cannot be maintained may be grounded within the next five years, according to a statement this year by Sergei Chemezov, head of Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense industry group.

Lifting sanctions against Russian aircraft could prove profitable for U.S. manufacturer Boeing. With a fleet of more than 700 aircraft, mostly Airbus and Boeing, Russian airlines could return to U.S. suppliers for critical parts and maintenance

Trump is also considering offering Russia opportunities to exploit valuable natural resources in the strait separating it from the US. Alaska, separated from Russia by just three miles of the Bering Strait, is estimated to have significant undiscovered oil and gas reserves, including 13% of the world’s oil.

The growth of Russia’s presence in the Strait would strengthen Putin’s strategic interests in the Arctic region, which accounted for 80% of Russia’s gas production in 2022.

British government sources told the Telegraph that such incentives could be accepted by Europe as long as they were not seen as a reward for Russia. “The feeling is that it has to be presented as an alignment with public opinion; it can’t be seen as a reward for Putin,” one of the sources said.