'Nobody can demand anything from Russia' — Putin talks about renewed US-Russia contacts, rare earth metals

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with officials on Feb. 24 to discuss rare earth metals production, calling it a strategic reserve crucial for Russia's economic growth and global competitiveness.

He emphasized the importance of the newly launched national project, "New Materials and Chemistry," which aims to strengthen the domestic industry. The initiative seeks to develop a full-cycle rare and rare-earth metals sector, from extraction to high-tech manufacturing, with a significant increase in production.

In an interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin published on the same day, Putin followed up on the minerals topic, adding that any potential agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine over natural resources would not affect Russia.

He pointed out that Russia has significantly larger reserves of rare earth metals than Ukraine is open to working with foreign partners in developing rare earth deposits, including in the occupied parts of Ukraine which Putin called "newly controlled regions."

Putin also suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump has greater freedom in handling Russia's war against Ukraine than European leaders.

"He doesn’t just say what he thinks—he does what he wants. That is the privilege of the leader of a great power," Putin said. While Russia and the U.S. must restore mutual trust, he added that no substantial talks with Trump on Ukraine had taken place.

Putin also claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky has become a "toxic figure for Ukraine’s armed forces who blocks peace efforts and weakens his country." He blamed Zelensky’s "absurd orders" for the military's "catastrophic losses" and accused the Ukrainian president of avoiding negotiations to delay elections.

Putin went on to dismiss Europe's concerns over U.S.-Russia talks. "Nobody can demand anything from Russia, especially not Europe. Let them make demands of someone else. For centuries, they have been making demands of their vassals—now their own people are making demands of them. They should sit at home and think about how they ended up in this situation," he said.

Putin also welcomed Trump’s proposal to cut defense spending, suggesting that Russia and the U.S. could agree to a 50% reduction.