Important statements from Trump before the cabinet meeting: “Putin will have to make concessions…”

US President Donald Trump held his first cabinet meeting after taking office. Trump and his cabinet members prayed before the meeting at the White House. Elon Musk, head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also attended the meeting. Trump, who made statements before the meeting, announced that a precious minerals agreement would be signed with Ukraine, and stated that this agreement would increase the US presence in the field.

Trump announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would visit the United States on Friday and said that a strategically important precious metals agreement would be signed between the two countries. Trump said, “This agreement will ensure that the United States is on the ground and that will create an automatic security shield because while we are there, nobody will be able to mess with our people.” When asked about a possible agreement that would end the Ukraine-Russia War, Trump said, “You can forget about NATO. I think that’s probably why this whole thing started.” Noting that Ukraine has great potential for critical minerals and rare earth elements, Trump said, “We need rare earths and other resources. This agreement will give us a great economic advantage.”

Trump, who said that the US was working to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, stated that this move was a strategic measure against China. Trump said, "Bagram is only an hour away from where China is producing nuclear missiles. So we need to be there not because of Afghanistan, but because of China." Trump stated that the US had provided billions of dollars in aid to Afghanistan but that this spending would be reviewed, and said, "I think we need to get back some of the military equipment that was left there."