Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to a draft minerals deal with the White House. Reports say the agreement was reached on Tuesday.
Reuters reported Zelenskyy will travel to D.C. on Friday. He plans to meet President Donald Trump after finalizing the deal.
The agreement gives the U.S. access to Ukrainian natural resources. In return, America continues supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. Trump hinted at the deal last week. "Pretty close" is how he described it on Friday. By Monday, he suggested a meeting was imminent.
"It'll be a deal with rare earths and various other things," Trump said. "And, he would like to come. As I understand it, here, to sign it. And that would be great with me."
"I think they then have to get it approved by their council or whoever might approve it, but I'm sure that will happen," he added.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has pushed to offset U.S. aid costs. He wants access to Ukraine’s titanium, iron, and uranium. America has sent tens of billions in aid since 2022.
Tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy have been high. Last week, Trump mocked Zelenskyy on Truth Social.
"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," Trump wrote.
"In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do," he continued. "Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going."
"I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues….."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised the pending deal. He spoke about it on "Sunday Morning Futures."
"The first part of this is a partnership between Ukraine and the U.S. that involves strategic minerals, energy, and state-owned enterprises," Bessent said. "We set up a partnership, and we are only looking forward."
"We make money if the Ukrainian people make money," he added. "Our businesses are willing to come in and provide capital that we can accelerate the Ukrainian growth trajectory and take in substantial monies for the U.S. taxpayers."
Meanwhile, Russia is watching. President Vladimir Putin signaled interest in working with the U.S. He suggested mining opportunities in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine.
"Russia is one of the undisputed leaders in terms of reserves of these rare and rare-earth metals," Putin said on Russian state television.
"These are quite capital-intensive investments, capital-intensive projects," he added. "We would be happy to work together with any foreign partners, including American ones."