Photo: Alamy
President Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Friday to continue the negotiation of a mineral rights deal.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the meeting will continue the negotiation process the two leaders have been engaged in so far.
The agreement would allow the U.S. to access minerals inside Ukraine and is part of the ongoing negotiation to end the war between Ukraine and Russia that has continued for three years.
President Trump and Ukranian leaders have both indicated the mineral rights deal is nearly complete. The deal seeks to provide a benefit to the U.S. in exchange for the aid it has given during the Russia-Ukraine war and continue the provision of U.S. security for Ukraine as the countries work to bring the conflict to an end.
Trump has expressed his criticism of Zelensky and the overall handling of the war, saying the U.S. provision of money and military aid has enabled the war to continue resulting in the unnecessary deaths of many Ukrainians.
Trump made ending the war between Russia and Ukraine a central issue during the 2024 campaign and criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict. Since taking office on January 20th, President Trump has focused on accessing Ukraine’s natural resources as a way to recover the tens of billions of dollars the U.S. has sent to Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February 2022.
Regarding an in-person meeting with Zelensky, President Trump said he thought Zelensky wanted to come to the U.S. to sign the deal. “That would be great with me,” Trump said.