White House Official Raises Concerns About Zelensky’s Invitation to Finalize Minerals Agreement
A White House official has expressed skepticism about the appropriateness of inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet with US President Donald Trump, especially considering Mr. Zelensky’s remarks indicating that a minerals agreement is not finalized.
“If the Ukrainian leader claims the deal isn’t settled, I fail to see the rationale behind extending an invitation,” the official remarked to Reuters.
“There’s an expectation that his visit would be to announce a finalized position regarding the minerals deal, yet he himself acknowledges that he is not at that final position in his recent comments.”
The official indicated that Mr. Zelensky’s recent statements from Kyiv imply that the minerals deal remains incomplete.
We need your consent to load this rte-player content. We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences
Yesterday, Mr. Trump informed reporters that he had been advised Mr. Zelensky would be visiting the White House on Friday with the expectation that the minerals agreement would be signed. However, he did not confirm whether Mr. Zelensky had received a formal invitation.
This deal is pivotal for Ukraine as it seeks strong backing from Mr. Trump in his efforts to prompt a swift resolution to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, with US-Russian discussions — which have notably excluded Kyiv — set to resume tomorrow.
‘This agreement could be part of future security guarantees,’ Volodymyr Zelensky stated.
“The key point for me is that we are not debtors. There is no $500 billion debt in the agreement, nor $350 billion, or even $100 billion because that would be unjust,” Mr. Zelensky explained during a press briefing regarding the agreement.
Mr. Trump has framed the deal as repayment for the billions of dollars in aid extended to Kyiv throughout the conflict. Mr. Zelensky has sought security guarantees in exchange for mineral rights, but it remains uncertain whether those requests have been successfully met.
“This agreement is part of our larger framework with the United States. It could be integral to future security guarantees … an agreement is just that, but we must grasp the broader vision,” Mr. Zelensky remarked.
“This deal has the potential to be a significant achievement or it could fade into obscurity. The success largely hinges on our dialogue with President Trump.”
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal noted that Washington would pledge its support for Kyiv’s pursuit of security guarantees as outlined in the finalized deal, though no security commitments have been made by the US.
While negotiations surrounding the minerals agreement have been ongoing, the US and Russia have initiated bilateral discussions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that tomorrow’s discussions in Istanbul would focus on addressing bilateral disputes, a part of a broader dialogue considered critical to resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Mr. Trump told reporters yesterday that Mr. Zelensky is eager to travel to Washington on Friday to finalize a “very significant deal”.
Read more: Ukraine agrees to the terms of the minerals deal with the US – officials
Mr. Shmyhal disclosed that Ukraine’s government would authorize the agreed-upon language later today so that it may be signed, referring to it as a “preliminary” agreement.
“Once the Ukrainian and US presidents concur on security guarantees, clarifying how we link this preliminary agreement to the US’s security guarantees for our nation, a representative of the Ukrainian government will sign this preliminary agreement in front of both presidents,” he explained.
A draft agreement dated February 25, which was reviewed by Reuters, stated: “The Government of the United States of America supports Ukraine’s efforts to secure the necessary guarantees for lasting peace.”
In his televised remarks, Mr. Shmyhal outlined that Kyiv would allocate 50% of “all proceeds generated from the future monetization of all relevant state-owned natural resource assets and essential infrastructure”.
He mentioned that these proceeds would be deposited into a fund co-managed by the United States and Ukraine, emphasizing that no decisions regarding the fund’s governance could be made without Ukraine’s consent.
“Existing deposits, facilities, licenses, and rents are not open for discussion concerning the establishment of this fund,” he added.
