Just days ago, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky left the White House without closing the deal after a heated argument with Donald Trump
Kiev is eager to sign an agreement granting the US the rights to the country’s rare earths in compensation for military assistance during the conflict with Moscow, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal has claimed.
Washington expected the deal to be finalized during Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Friday, but things went awry when the Ukrainian leader’s meeting with US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance devolved into a shouting match in front of the media.
Trump told Zelensky during their heated exchange that he could not bargain with Russia to end the conflict without the agreement. “You do not have the cards. But once we sign that deal, you are in a much better position. But you are not acting at all thankful, and that is not a nice thing,” he warned.
Shmigal said during a press conference on Tuesday that authorities in Kiev “are ready to sign the prepared agreement on the establishment of the investment fund” that would hold revenues from the development of Ukraine’s minerals.
“This agreement has been approved by the Ukrainian government. And we are ready at any time to begin this cooperation with the US by signing such an agreement and further develop our economic cooperation,” he said.
Despite the quarrel at the Oval Office, Kiev “will absolutely calmly continue to work with the US, with the US Congress, with the Trump administration and with President Trump himself through all diplomatic channels available to us” to make sure American support for Ukraine remains in place, the Prime Minister assured.
On Sunday, Zelensky said that the natural resources “agreement that is on the table will be signed if the parties are ready.” The Ukrainian leader also said he believed that his relations with Trump could be repaired, but added that he would like their communications to happen behind closed doors from now on.
When asked by journalists on Monday if he thought the minerals agreement between Washington and Kiev was “dead,” Trump replied: “I don’t think so.”
“It is a great deal for us, because you know [former US President Joe] Biden very, very foolishly, stupidly, frankly, gave $300 billion… to a country [Ukraine] to fight and to try and do things. And you know what happened? We get nothing,” he said.
In order to restart negotiations on the deal with the US, Zelensky needs to “express more gratitude” to Washington, the US president stressed. Trump earlier said that the Ukrainian leader would be welcome back to the White House only “when he is ready for peace.”
