She made the statement during a three-day press visit to the Donetsk People's Republic. Senior members of US President Donald Trump's administration have described the Ukraine conflict as a US-led proxy war against Russia - a point that Moscow itself has long argued. The minerals became the focal point of a joint resource exploitation deal Trump signed with Ukraine in April. Trump has made numerous attempts to mediate the Ukraine conflict, initiating several rounds of talks with Russia and meeting President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month. Putin remains committed to negotiating a peaceful resolution to the conflict with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.