Ukrainian says Donald Trump is blackmailing them–like a bully?

The UK Guardian posted the following:

‘It’s blackmail’: Ukrainians react to Trump demand for $500bn share of minerals

22 February 2025

Drawing in the snow with his finger, Mykola Hrechukha sketched out how Ukraine’s new lithium mine might look. It would have a deep central shaft, with a series of side tunnels, he said. “The lithium is good everywhere. The biggest concentration is at a depth of 200-500 metres,” he said. “We should be able to extract 4,300 tonnes a day. The potential is terrific.”

For now, though, there is little sign of activity. The deposit is buried under a large sloping field, used in communist times to grow beetroot and wheat. The mine’s proposed entrance is in an abandoned former-Soviet village, Liodiane, today a scruffy grove of acacia and maple trees. The only inhabitant is a security guard, who lives on the 150-hectare site in an ancient Gaz-53 truck. Wild boar and even a wolf sometimes wander past.

The lithium deposit is located in central Ukraine’s Kirovohrad region, about 350km (217 miles) south of the capital, Kyiv. Solar-powered scientific instruments measure air temperature and seismic activity. In 2017 a Ukrainian company, UkrLithiumMining, bought a government licence to exploit the site for 20 years. It cost $5m. Geological surveys confirm that the ore, known as petalite, can be used to produce batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones.

According to the US president, Donald Trump, these underground reserves should now belong to America. Last week, the new US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, visited Kyiv. He presented Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a surprise claim to half of Ukraine’s mineral wealth, as well as to its oil, gas, and infrastructure such as ports. The $500bn bill was “payback” for previous US military assistance to Ukraine, the White House explained.

Zelenskyy refused to sign the agreement. …

Commentators have described Trump’s aggressive ultimatum as “mafia imperialism”, a “colonial agreement”, and reminiscent of what the Europeans did in the 18th century when they carved up Africa.

“It’s as if we lost the war to America. This looks to me like reparations,” Volodymyr Landa, a senior economist at the Centre for Economic Strategy thinktank in Kyiv, said. …

72-year-old Stanislav Ryabchenko said he hoped the mine would bring young people back to the community and create jobs. “What Trump suggests is blackmail. He knows we can’t push the Russians out on our own. We need joint production, not a takeover,” he said, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/22/its-blackmail-ukrainians-react-to-trump-demand-for-500bn-share-of-minerals

Basically, Donald Trump seems to have concluded that without the US, Ukraine will be taken over by Russia. So, he has given Ukraine a choice, the type of choice a bully might do.

Notice also the following:

Bully Trump tries to gag Zelensky: ‘Tone it down and take my deal’

Donald Trump has sparked fresh outrage by trying to silence Volodymyr Zelensky, who was defending himself over the US president’s “dictator” slur, and pressure him into a deal with Vladimir Putin.

The White House told Ukraine’s leader to “tone down” his comments – which included his remark that Mr Trump lives in a Russian “disinformation space” – and accused Mr Zelensky of “badmouthing” the US president.

Mr Zelensky was ordered to sign a peace deal with Russia and, adding insult to injury, to hand hundreds of billions of pounds worth of mineral reserves to the US. 02/20/25 https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/europe/trump-zelensky-us-deal-ukraine-russia-war-b2702046.html

In my Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? book related to prophecy and Donald Trump, I have the following statement:

Donald Trump’s foreign policy statements have unsettled many—in the USA as well as foreign nations. He is believed by many to be more unpredictable than Richard Nixon. Many have rightly pointed out that he often acts as a bully.

Donald Trump has taken many bullying-type actions.

That said, Amazon Kindle has allowed us to promote the electronic version of my book, Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?, for free for several days. This free offer ends on Monday–as that is as many days as Amazon Kindle al

The book came out a few days BEFORE Donald Trump took office. And already, various world events are confirming warnings, comments, and speculations it contains.

Since that book came out, world events have aligned with several warning, predictions, and unintended consequences pointed to in it. Below, in italics, are statements from that book, with the page numbers where the prediction can be found in the printed book shown within ():

Pushing tariffs and other policies that foreign nations do not like is contributing to other nations looking to bypass the USA dollar, as well as trade more with each other and less with the USA. This will further push various globalist’s moves forward without the USA. (p.210) Confirmation: Because of tariff threats from Donald Trump, on 1/21/25, EU President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Europe would seek out others to trade with (https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-donald-trump-america-we-have-other-options-ursula-von-der-leyen/).
Gold will set records in U.S. dollar terms. … … gold will set further records in U.S. dollar terms in the relatively near future. (pp. 205, 206) Confirmation: Gold hit a record price on 1/31/25 (https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/gold-hits-record-high-trump-tariff-worries-mount-2025-01-31/) and did it again on 02/10/25. The record price of gold reflects a record minimum value in gold for the USA dollar.
One of the unintended consequence of his actions is, that after crises (cf. Revelation 6:7-8), more Europeans will decide that they need their own even stronger leader—which will happen per Revelation 13:10 and 17:13. (pp. 58-59) Partial confirmation: This already started to happen at a European political conference on 2/08/25 (https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/02/08/your-time-is-over-far-right-leaders-take-on-the-eus-mainstream-parties)
Donald Trump has often encouraged increased military spending by the Europeans. … Donald Trump is helping enable the rise of the King of the North/Beast power who will be in league with the final Antichrist. (p. 87) Partial confirmation: This is partially confirmed as Kaja Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission stated on 1/22/25 that Europe needs to spend more as Donald Trump called for (https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/01/22/eu-must-spend-more-than-1-of-gdp-on-defence-to-prepare-for-the-worst-kallas-says).
Donald Trump’s rise has also spurred the Europeans to further unify among themselves. … Donald Trump has been pointed to by various European leaders as ‘proof’ that Europe needs more unification and distance from the USA. (p. 88) Partial confirmation: More of this has since happened (https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/01/22/eu-must-spend-more-than-1-of-gdp-on-defence-to-prepare-for-the-worst-kallas-says and https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/eu-enlargement-debate-at-davos-focuses-on-europe-s-global-role-and-growth/ar-AA1xBhgq?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds) and a EU foreign ministers meeting on 1/27/25 called for a unified approach to deal with US President Donald Trump and what analysts refer to as his “divide and rule policy” (https://www.dw.com/en/eu-sanctions-russia-trump-2025/a-71427544).
Jesus warned about a coming time of pestilences as part of the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:4-8)—they are consistent with the ride of the 4^th horseman of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:7-8)—that ride may well start in the second term of a Donald Trump Administration. Actions and/or inactions by Donald Trump will likely put the USA at increased risk of problems from pestilences. (p. 90) Potential confirmation: Donald Trump announced he is pulling the USA out of the World Health Organization (https://fortune.com/well/2025/01/21/trump-who-us-remove-world-health-organization/).
His policies are pushing nations away from the USA and helping set the stage for the final times of the Gentiles (cf. Ezekiel 7:24, 39:23; Luke 21:24). (p. 91) Potential confirmation: Donald Trump’s comments at the WEF reportedly silenced the crowd and made them “stone-faced” (Donald Trump speaks virtually to the WEF’s Davos meeting and pushes USA fossil fuels and trade matters). These leaders were not pleased and will take actions. Ursula von der Leyen said “Europe will keep seeking co-operation — not only with our long-time, like-minded friends, but with any country we share interests with.”
His statements are getting more in Europe to consider that they need to reorganize and support some type of a strong man leader. The Bible shows that will happen in Revelation 17:12-13. Speculative confirmation: I cannot imagine that at the WEF and within the EU they are not discussing something like a stronger European leader and a reorganization of Europe. For example the chief executive of a European bank at the WEF conference stated, “I heard the EU talking about the willingness to make changes,” and “The truth of the matter is every time they do something they create more bureaucracy, more complexity. They need to have a huge reset” (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/24/davos-donald-trump-tariffs-eu-us). Germans have noticed that what they call the “far right” is gaining because of Donald Trump and that right wing leaders look more useful now (https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/9836 01/21/25). Furthermore, EU President Von der Leyen said this week, “To sustain our growth in the next quarter of the century, Europe must shift gears,” (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/24/davos-donald-trump-tariffs-eu-us) that sounds like a plea to reorganize.