Trump, Zelenskyy to meet at White House amid minerals deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, where they are expected to sign a crucial minerals agreement. This deal is part of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to regain U.S. support in its battle against the Russian invasion.

File Source: The Guardian

The agreement, negotiated in recent days, would open up Ukraine’s abundant mineral resources to the U.S., though it has drawn disappointment in Kyiv as it does not include American security guarantees. Despite this setback, the deal provides Washington with a means to recoup some of the billions of dollars spent on weaponry provided to Ukraine through a reconstruction investment fund linked to the sale of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies last year revealed that nearly two-thirds of the funds appropriated by Congress for Ukraine had been spent within the United States.

Ukraine hopes this agreement will push President Trump to back efforts to reclaim the territory seized by Russia. Additionally, it could help garner support from Republicans in Congress for a new round of aid to the war-torn nation.

Trump and Zelenskyy have been embroiled in a distant feud in recent weeks, with the U.S. president criticizing Zelenskyy’s approach to the war, even going as far as calling him a dictator and pushing for the minerals deal. However, during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Trump seemed to backtrack on his previous comments, stating, “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.”

Trump also expressed his eagerness to meet Zelenskyy and praised the Ukrainian military for its bravery. “We’re working very hard to get that war brought to an end. I think we’ve made a lot of progress, and I think it’s moving along pretty rapidly,” Trump remarked. “It’ll either be fairly soon or it won’t be at all,” he added, without further elaboration.