In a bombshell revelation that shouldn't surprise anyone paying attention to the Ukraine conflict, we now have evidence that President Zelenskyy has been misleading the United States about his dealings with our European allies. This deception runs deep, and President Trump is having none of it.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer dropped this truth bomb during a recent Newsmax interview, revealing that a "battle of dueling narratives" exists between the White House and Ukraine over a minerals deal.
During the interview, Shaffer revealed that mere days before Trump’s inauguration, “the British signed an agreement with Ukraine to have exclusive rights to those [mineral rights] deals.”
“You can go check it out,” he said. “This is on the British UK website. It talks about this 100-year Ukraine and the U.K. signed a 100-year deal over security guarantees and economic development.”
Indeed, the UK-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership Declaration strengthens security ties and mineral cooperation between the two nations. It includes deepened defense collaboration, joint weapons production, and expanded military capabilities. The UK is also positioned as a key partner in Ukraine’s energy and critical minerals sectors, supporting green steel production and resource development. This partnership aims to enhance Ukraine’s security, economic stability, and defense innovation for the next century.
The timing couldn't be more suspicious. Three days before President Trump took office, the British quietly secured an agreement with Ukraine that included rights to valuable resources that Trump was asking for. This explains Zelenskyy's bizarre behavior during the meeting. He knew there would be no deal. This also explains Zelenskyy’s post-White House European tour and the astroturfing campaign of European leaders.
According to Shaffer, Trump's team discovered "they were being played.” The U.S. was essentially being asked to provide security guarantees for an economic development deal already signed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Related: European Leaders Caught Astroturfing Their 'Support' for Zelenskyy
“We are being played. We, the United States, are trying to be signed up to a deal that we provide security guarantees to an economic development deal that Keir Starmer has already signed them up to do,” Shaffer said. “The first thing it has to do is people have to take a step back and be honest with what's really going on.”
Shaffer believes that Trump was trying to arrange a "straight line deal" for mineral rights, "knowing full well that the British had already signed on this three days before his inauguration."
The UK-Ukraine deal specifically mentions "supporting development of a Ukrainian critical minerals strategy" while encompassing defense, economic, and technology cooperation.
The hypocrisy was on full display when Starmer visited the White House.
"The other day when Keir Starmer was in the office, he asked the prime minister, ‘Gee, can you guys beat the Russians on your own?’ This is all about them finally stepping up and taking responsibility for their own backyard," Shaffer said.
Even more telling, according to Shaffer, Starmer reportedly admitted that agreements between Ukraine and the UK "are not really worth anything unless the United States shows up to make it all real.”
Shaffer's response hits the nail on the head: "They're used to us showing up and paying everything. We're not going to do that now. It's not our job, not in our interest."
This is why Trump's America First approach is so desperately needed. Unlike the previous administration, which wrote blank checks to Ukraine without accountability, President Trump is demanding transparency and fair burden-sharing.
"President Trump wants peace. He's got a path to peace. But that requires the Europeans essentially take upon themselves responsibility," Shaffer explained. Trump has "no problem" with French peacekeepers or British forces in Ukraine—after all, it's their backyard and they're the ones signing mineral rights deals behind our backs.
The liberal media won't tell you this side of the story. They'd instead portray Trump as unreasonable when he's simply demanding honest dealing and fair burden-sharing. This revelation proves once again that Trump's instincts about being taken advantage of by both allies and adversaries were right all along.