Donald Trump makes Ukraine an offer it can’t refuse 

A proposed economic deal would be punitive. Saying “no” could be worse

UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS are locked in talks with America whose brinkmanship is dizzying even by Donald Trump’s standards. He and his team are demanding Ukraine sign over profits from its mining, ports and other industries in return for any backing from Uncle Sam. Speaking in Kyiv on February 23rd, after a night of crippling Russian drone attacks in the city, Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the “unfair” terms of the latest proposal and insisted that any agreement include military support. The talks are continuing. One question is how badly Ukraine is squeezed if there is a deal: an official says it is “not negotiation, but extortion”. The other is the retribution Mr Trump will inflict if Ukraine refuses to sign on the dotted line. There are growing fears in Kyiv that he might try to strangle the flow of military support, cut off access to the Starlink satellite communications service or accelerate his bilateral peace talks with Vladimir Putin.

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