(NewsNation) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is coming to the White House Friday, where he will sign a rare minerals deal, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday.
Trump addressed the deal, which has been a push and pull since the start, before the first Cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday.
Details are vague but what is known is that the U.S. is requesting revenue from Ukraine’s rare minerals, which are used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries.
Trump has said this is a way for Kyiv to pay back the U.S. for aid sent for the war effort under Democratic President Joe Biden.
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“The previous administration put us in a very bad position, but we’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get the money back and a lot of money in the future,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said at a news conference early Wednesday in Kyiv that a framework of an economic deal had been reached, but it did not yet include the U.S. security guarantees his country sees as vital.
The economic agreement “may be part of future security guarantees, but I want to understand the broader vision. What awaits Ukraine?” Zelensky said.
Zelenskyy said he expects a wide-ranging conversation with Trump.
“Today, there has been a lot of international work. Our teams are working with the United States as we prepare for negotiations this Friday,” Zelenskyy said Wednesday on X. “Peace and security guarantees are the key to ensuring that Russia can no longer destroy the lives of other nations. I will meet with @POTUS. For me and for all of us in the world, it’s important that U.S. support is not stopped. Strength is needed on the path to peace.
This comes during a very public feud between Zelenskyy and Trump that initially stemmed from the minerals deal. After Zelenskyy refused the initial framework, Trump called the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections.” Zelenskyy, in turn, said Trump is living in a “disinformation space.”
Along with the minerals deal, there’s also a push to put an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump says the Europeans should provide security — not the United States.
Another European leader, French President Emmanual Macron, was in Washington on Monday, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
