Trump’s administration seemed to make progress on Friday to an agreement that would give the United States valuable mineral rights in Ukraine.
The movement came after a week in which President Trump was initially rejected in agreement, showed the pressure by achieving Ukraine and suggesting that he would stay with Russia to seek to end the war there.
Mr Trump boasted in the White House that there is a deal that could bring up to $ 500 billion to the United States. “So we sign an agreement. We hope that in the next few short period of time,” he said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine also said that his country was working on a draft agreement between the two governments, seemingly flooding the tensions that had exterminated with Mr Trump for an agreement.
“This agreement can add value to our relationships – what is most important is to get the details of the right to ensure that it really works,” Mr Zelensky said in a social media position on Friday.
The signs of relaxation of tensions only emphasized the way Mr Trump hit an obviously transaction and a fondness to resolve a conflict started by Russia, which convey deep consequences for security in Europe and the future of transatlantic Alliance.
Mr Trump and his allies had been carried out a pressure campaign against the president of Ukraine, suggesting that the United States could leave the country and the war with Russia, which began an invasion of its western neighbor before three years.
During a radio interview on Friday with host Fox News Brian Kilmeade, Mr Trump said he was “tired” to hear that Russia was to blame for the war as he painted Mr Zelensky and his predecessor, President Joseph R. Biden Jr., as true problems.
“Every time I say,” Oh, it is not a mistake of Russia, “I always get struck by the false news,” Mr Trump said. “But I tell you, Biden said the wrong things. Zelensky said the wrong things.”
Mr Trump stressed that he rarely wanted land and other minerals from Ukraine in return for any support from the United States.
“Who knows what the rare land is worth, you know, but at least it’s something,” Mr Trump said.
In the Oval Office, Mr Trump continued to iron against Ukraine and Mr Biden not to draw more demands from the country.
“Biden gave them money – there was no loan, there was no security. It was nothing,” Mr Trump said. “So we are going to sign a deal, or there will be a lot of problems with them. So we will sign a deal to receive security, because we have to do that.”
Since Mr Trump started his verbal attack, Kiev has focused on strengthening his negotiating position, as the United States and Russia’s open talks to end the war – with or without Ukraine’s participation. In a disturbance of diplomacy on Thursday and Friday, Mr Zelensky spoke with half a dozen leaders in Europe and Canada to promote other sources of support.
Kiev and Moscow have participated in direct talks at the beginning of the invasion, but since April 2022 they have negotiated only above the prisoners of war exchanges and to return Ukrainian children from Russia.
The idea of negotiating natural resources for US aid was submitted for the first time by Ukraine, but Mr Zelensky interrupted when the US proposal proposed that Kiev provides access to 50 % of the country’s minerals and energy resources . Mr Zelensky had also opposed that the agreement did not include US security commitments.
Several assistants to Mr Zelensky believe that a new edition of the deal discussed on Thursday is facing these concerns and has now advised Mr Zelensky to sign it, a person familiar with discussions in the Ukrainian government on the US proposal on Friday. The displacement to some Ukrainian officials on the deal was first mentioned by Axios.
In another positive sign for talks with the United States on resources, Keith Kellogg, retired General Lieutenant who is Mr Trump’s envoy to Ukraine for settlement negotiations, published in X Pagen for Mr. Zelensky as “The encouraging and courageous leader of A, Nation in War and the talented national security team. “Mr. Kellogg said he had” extensive and positive discussions “during his visit to Kiev.
In a statement on Friday night, Mr Zelensky said his negotiating team worked with our counterparts on “a deal that can boost our relationships”, but that the need remained “to process the details to secure the its effectiveness ”.
Added: “I look forward to the result – a fair result.”
The talks had been derailed last week after Mr Zelensky refused to sign a version presented to him by US Finance Minister Scott Bessent on a visit to Kiev.
Mr Trump responded with a wide against Mr Zelensky’s moral attitude to the conflict, saying false Ukraine leaders began the war that began in 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr Zelensky, in turn, said Mr Trump lived in a “misinformation web”.
But US pressure in Kyiv continued. On Thursday, US national security adviser Mike Waltz told Fox & Friends that the Ukrainian leadership had to “abolish it and take a hard look and sign this deal”.
And Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said during an interview with Elon Musk’s social media site that Mr Zelensky has spoken orally to meet with Vice President JD Vance a week ago before supporting it.
“We explained to them: Look, we want to be in a consortium with you, not because we are trying to steal from your country, but because we believe it is actually a security guarantee,” Mr Rubio said.
“And he said: Sure, we want to make this agreement. It makes the whole feeling in the world. The only thing is, I have to run it through my legislative process. They have to approve it.”
“I read two days later Zelensky is out there saying,” I rejected the deal. I told them no way, that we don’t do this, “Mr Rubio continued. “Well, that didn’t happen at this meeting. So you start upset.”
Mr Zelensky previously suggested that the talks had moved on to a night address to the Ukrainians on Thursday after a meeting in Kiev with the Trump Administration envoy in Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg. He said it was “a meeting that restores hope”.
He did not provide details of a possible natural resource agreement, except to say that “the economy and security must always be in line”, and that his interest was to secure a constant agreement with the United States.
The Ukrainian government has at the same time pursued a turbulence of diplomacy with Europe, hoping that Europe could provide security commitments or military assistance to fill the gaps if the United States withholding support.
Mr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials admit that European nations cannot fully replace the full spectrum of military and intelligence provided by the United States in Ukraine, but have been encouraged by discussions of shaping a European peacekeeping power .
On Thursday, Mr Zelensky spoke by phone with five European leaders, from France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark and Finland and with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Friday with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
In the nine days since Mr Trump opened negotiations with Russia on a telephone call with President Vladimir V. Putin on February 12, Mr Zelensky has met or spoke on the phone with European leaders at least nine times. A visit was scheduled for Monday by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.
And Mr Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will continue to push Ukraine’s case on scheduled Washington visits next week, where they are expected to present to Trump’s administration what Europe and the United Kingdom can offer What is still needed by the United States.
