Washington, Feb 22: The White House and Ukraine have made significant progress toward reaching an agreement that would provide the US with access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and tighten the long-term relationship between Kyiv and Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The progress in talks comes after President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traded sharp rhetoric this week about their differences over the matter.
Zelenskyy said he balked at signing off on a deal that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed during a visit to Kyiv last week, and the Ukrainian leader objected again days later during a meeting in Munich with Vice President JD Vance because the American proposal did not include security guarantees.
Trump earlier Friday renewed his criticism of Zelenskyy’s handling of the three-year war and accused the Ukrainians of wasting Bessent’s time.
But the two sides made significant progress during a three-day visit to Ukraine this week by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, according to the person familiar with the ongoing negotiations who was not authorized to comment publicly.
While the Ukrainians were rattled by Trump, the still-not-completed agreement came into focus over three days of meetings in Ukraine between Kellogg and Zelenskyy and other top-ranking Ukrainian officials, the person said.
In addition to Zelenskyy, the talks included Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Rada speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and others, the person said.
As Kellogg returned to Washington on Friday evening, Zelenskyy in his nightly address said the two sides were still working on a draft agreement. It was a notably optimistic tone after Trump earlier in the day in a Fox News Radio interview said Bessent’s visit to Kyiv had been a “wasted trip.”
“Today, Ukrainian and U.S. teams are working on a draft agreement between our governments,” Zelenskyy said in his address. “This agreement can add value to our relations — what matters most is getting the details right to ensure it truly works. I look forward to a just result.”
Trump said he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last fall by Zelenskyy as part of his plan to strengthen Kyiv’s hand in future negotiations with Moscow.
Rare earth elements are a set of 17 elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.
Trump’s national security adviser also expressed confidence Friday that Zelenskyy would eventually accept a deal letting the U.S. access his country’s rare earth minerals.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Mike Waltz said: “Here’s the bottom line. President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal.”
It’s not clear whether the White House has offered Ukraine any security guarantees in the emerging deal.
Earlier proposals focused on how the US could use Kyiv’s minerals “as compensation” for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid.
The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the reported progress.
Trump aides — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Waltz — met with senior advisers to Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia earlier this week for preliminary talks about ending the war.
The U.S. president faced criticism from Zelenskyy for not including Ukraine and other European allies in the talks.
Trump, in the radio interview, pushed back against that criticism and once again laced into Zelenskyy. The US president said he didn’t think it was “important” for Zelenskyy to be in the meetings and dismissed Zelenskyy as negotiating “with no cards.”
Earlier this week, Trump warned Zelenskyy that he “better move fast” to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or risk not having a nation to lead.
Trump also said of Putin that the Russian leader wants to make a deal but has options. “He doesn’t have to make a deal,” Trump said. “Because if he wanted, he would get the whole country.”
Trump’s harsh words for Zelenskyy drew criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress, where Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression has had bipartisan support. (AP)
