Washington and Kyiv are moving forward with discussions to finalize a minerals deal that was put on hold following a contentious Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last Friday. Sources familiar with the matter said the agreement, initially planned for signing last week, fell through after Zelenskiy was swiftly dismissed from the White House.
Trump had intended to announce the deal during his address to Congress on Tuesday, but the signing had not yet taken place, and the situation remained fluid. When asked about the status of the agreement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News, "There is no signing planned," according to a post on X by a Fox reporter. The White House, Ukraine’s presidential administration, and the Ukrainian embassy in Washington have not responded to requests for comment.
The meeting on Friday, which was supposed to finalize the deal, turned into a heated exchange, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticizing Zelenskiy for asking for additional aid instead of expressing gratitude for past U.S. support. "You're gambling with World War Three," Trump reportedly told the Ukrainian leader. Following the incident, U.S. officials have urged Kyiv to move forward with the minerals deal and encouraged Zelenskiy's team to consider issuing a public apology to Trump.
On Tuesday, Zelenskiy posted on X, calling the meeting "regrettable" and stating that Ukraine remains ready to sign the deal. "Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be," he said. "Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer."
The original agreement, which had yet to be finalized, did not include security guarantees for Ukraine but granted the U.S. access to revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources. It also stipulated that 50% of the future monetization of any state-owned natural resources would be contributed to a U.S.-Ukraine managed reconstruction investment fund.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Monday, signaled that his administration remained open to the deal, though he emphasized that Ukraine should be "more appreciative" of U.S. support. "This country has stuck with them through thick and thin," he said. "We've given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us."
Meanwhile, France, Britain, and potentially other European countries have proposed sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, though they would require U.S. backing. Moscow has already rejected such proposals.
Daniel Fried, a former senior White House official and U.S. ambassador to Poland, noted that while the negotiations have been turbulent, a successful deal would benefit Trump politically. “Trump can and should take the win," said Fried, now a fellow at the Atlantic Council. "He’d be able to say that he got the Europeans to stand up on an issue of European security, which they’ve never done before.”