Days after a huge blow out in the Oval Office between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the US and Ukraine are said to be close to agreeing a minerals deal despite the deal seeming to be dead
Donald Trump and Ukraine are set to sign their landmark minerals deal, after his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
The pair had met last Friday to discuss the proposal but it ended disastrously when the US leader turfed Mr Zelensky out of the building and axed their planned press conference. Trump later accused the Ukrainian leader of “not being ready for peace”, and of disrespecting the Oval Office.
Mr Zelensky said earlier today he was “ready” to sign a mineral deal with the US following the “regrettable” White House spat with the US President. It could be signed as early as tonight, although both sides have urged it still may not happen.
The deal that was to be signed last week included no explicit security guarantees for Ukraine. However, it would give the US access to revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources. The deal also meant the Ukrainian government would contribute half of future monetization of any state-owned natural resources to a US-Ukraine managed reconstruction investment fund.
In last Friday’s meeting Trump and his Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky and told him he should thank them for their support so far during the war, rather than asking for additional aid in front of media. Last night Trump ordered the temporary pause of US military aid for Ukraine after his Oval Office blowup.
A White House official said the US President is focused on reaching a peace deal to end the more than three-year war sparked by Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, and wants Mr Zelensky “committed” to that goal.
In the leadup to his 2024 election win, Mr Trump vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine. He expressed increasing frustration with Mr Zelenskyy over the war, yet stressed confidence Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trusted to keep the peace if a truce in the conflict were to be reached.
Trump earlier criticised Mr Zelensky for suggesting a deal to end the war with Russia “is still very, very far away”. He said on his Truth Social platform: “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer.
“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US – probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”
