The United States and Ukraine are expected to finalize a minerals agreement following a contentious Oval Office meeting last Friday, as per a report from Reuters.
This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was abruptly dismissed from the White House after a tense altercation with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump pushes for deal despite diplomatic rift
President Trump has informed his advisers that he wants to announce the agreement during his address to Congress on Tuesday evening, the report said, citing sources.
However, the deal has yet to be formally signed, and the situation remains fluid.
The White House has not commented on the status of the deal, and both Ukraine’s presidential administration in Kyiv and the Ukrainian embassy in Washington have also not responded to requests for comment.
On Monday, Trump suggested that his administration was still open to finalizing the deal but reiterated his view that Ukraine should be more publicly appreciative of US assistance.
“This country has stuck with them through thick and thin,” Trump told reporters. “We’ve given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us.”
It remains unclear whether any changes have been made to the original terms of the minerals deal.
The agreement, as initially drafted, did not include explicit security guarantees for Ukraine but granted the US access to revenues generated from Ukraine’s natural resources.
Additionally, it stipulated that the Ukrainian government would allocate 50% of future profits from state-owned natural resources to a US-Ukraine-managed reconstruction investment fund.
Zelenskyy vs Trump and Vance at the Oval Office
During the meeting, Trump and Vance pressed Zelenskyy, insisting he should publicly express appreciation for US assistance instead of asking for more aid during his media appearances.
“You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump told Zelenskyy.
Despite the heated exchange, U.S. officials have continued discussions with their Ukrainian counterparts in recent days, urging Zelenskyy’s advisers to convince him to issue a public apology to Trump, as per the report.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy posted on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledging the diplomatic tension but signaling Ukraine’s readiness to move forward with the agreement.
“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.”
Europe’s solidarity with Zelenskyy
After the tense exchange in Washington, the Ukrainian president received a warm welcome in London over the weekend, where he met the prime minister, visited the King, and gained strong support from European leaders at a summit on Sunday.
The reception stood in stark contrast to the White House meeting.
By Sunday’s summit in London, the focus shifted to concrete actions, with leaders emphasizing the continued importance of US support.
At the summit’s conclusion, Starmer outlined a four-point plan, calling for sustained military aid to Ukraine, ensuring Ukraine’s presence at peace talks, strengthening its defense capabilities, and forming a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine, including the possibility of sending troops.
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