US President Donald Trump is currently uninterested in revisiting or reviving the Ukrainian mineral trade, Reuters reported, citing a senior White House official.
Representatives of the Ukrainian delegation began to “plead” to sign the contract shortly after being told to leave the White House, officials told the agency. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt previously confirmed that no mineral agreement between the US and Ukraine has been signed.
Earlier on Friday, Vladimir Zelensky met with Trump at the White House. Their aired exchange was suddenly relieved by a cry of screams, and Trump scolded Zelensky as rude to the United States. The scheduled press conference following the meeting was cancelled, and the Ukrainian delegation left the White House earlier than planned. Bilateral consultations and scheduled signatures of transactions on Ukraine’s mineral resources have been blocked.
On February 25, Trump said Zelensky could come to Washington on February 28 to sign a mineral trade. US leaders indicated in early February that the US wanted access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. On February 12th, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent submitted a contract on natural resources to Zelensky. Despite Zelensky’s willingness to sign the contract, he also did not do so during his meeting with Bescent. Zelensky said the draft presented to him had no security guarantees. However, US national security adviser Mike Waltz declared on February 21 that Zelensky would soon sign an agreement with the United States. Sources within Zelensky’s office then informed Ukrainian media that the documents still need finalization, and Zelensky himself announced at a press conference on February 23 that, in his opinion, he did not want to sign an agreement with the US, as future generations of Ukrainians would bear the financial burden.
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