President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to sign a critical minerals agreement Friday when the Ukrainian leader is welcomed to the White House, amid Trump’s efforts to cease the war in Ukraine and as Ukraine seeks continued U.S. support.
The administration sees the deal on strategic minerals, oil and gas as an “economic bridge” between the countries, while Ukraine is seeking continued U.S. assistance. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced, “the deal is done” on social media.
“It is complete; it is on paper and the Ukrainian government has approved it. It is just awaiting the signature of the two heads of state tomorrow,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox News Business on Thursday.
Trump views the deal as a way to recoup aid the U.S. provided to Ukraine in defense of Russia’s invasion of it. Trump has long criticized the aid and lamented that Europe’s contribution was treated as a loan, a notion that French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minster Keir Starmer corrected during visits with President Trump this week. The partnership was not expected to include guarantees for future war fighting or commit U.S. personnel to the region, according to a senior administration official.
“We’re going to be taking what we’re entitled to take,” President Trump said earlier in the week, as the White House has framed the deal as a boon to taxpayers and benefit for Ukrainian reconstruction. “They get us over there, we’re going to be working over there. We’ll be on the land and you know in that way it’s sort of automatic security because nobody’s going to be messing around with other people when we’re there.”
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President Trump has softened his tone towards Zelenskyy ahead of the meeting after tensions between the leaders played out across public comments in the week preceding it. President Trump said their relationship “maybe got a little bit testy because we wanted to have a little bit of what the European nations had.”
President Trump had called Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections" and appeared frustrated over the deal after Zelenskyy accused President Trump of living in a disinformation space when Ukraine was left out of a meeting between Russian and U.S. officials. President Trump’s softened tone toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, and sharpened criticism of Zelenskyy and Ukraine, shocked European allies.
"Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question,” Trump told reporters Thursday when asked about his view of Zelenskyy.
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Zelenskyy previously shared concerns about equating grants with debt. Zelenskyy hopes the economic deal is a way for the U.S. to maintain a commitment to Ukraine, according to Dr. Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations. “This is not exactly what Ukraine had in mind for Ukraine,” said Fix.
The Ukrainian leader has advocated for Ukraine’s inclusion in negotiations and security guarantees, after President Trump restarted dialogue with Russia marking a shift from the previous administration’s stance of ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.’
The Ukrainians hope to hear messages about the agreement in terms of a mutual partnership and interest in investment in Ukraine, the strategic importance of a free Ukraine for the United States and support for Ukraine’s efforts to ensure security, according to a source familiar with their thinking.
“Guarantees of peace and security – this is the key to ensuring that Russia will no longer destroy the lives of other nations. I will meet with President Trump. For me and for all of us in the world, it is crucial that America’s assistance is not stopped. Strength is essential on the path to peace,” Zelenskyy said during his Wednesday address.
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While leaders of the U.K. and France are willing to provide forces as part of a peacekeeping mechanism after a deal is reached between Ukraine and Russia, European nations are also looking for U.S. backing. President Trump has not committed to U.S. support, instead pointing to Europe’s role and the critical minerals deal. The Ukrainians seek assurance of the presence of European troops with support from the United States, according to a source familiar with their thinking.
“I believe the Europeans are in the process of stepping up to this. America has to be a part of this,” said retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former supreme allied commander of NATO and commander of the U.S.-European Command. “Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, air support, all of those things I think are absolutely important,” he said. “There are things only we can do.”
However, Russian leaders have rejected the notion of any European forces in Ukraine as a peace keeping mechanism.
President Trump also said he’d like to buy minerals on Russian land.
“They have very good rare earth also they both do,” he previously said, following comments from Putin indicating an openness for a deal with the U.S. on this.
