President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday and signing an agreement that would allow the United States access to rare minerals in Ukraine.
During his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump said, “We’re doing very well with Russia-Ukraine. President Zelensky is going to be coming on Friday, that’s now confirmed, and we’re going to be signing an agreement, which will be a very big agreement.”
“That will be on rare earth and other things,” Trump added. “As you know, we’re in for probably $350 billion.”
Fox News reported that the rare mineral agreement would allow the United States to have access to natural resources in Ukraine in exchange for the support the United States has provided to Ukraine during its war with Russia.
Addressing the rare mineral agreement during an interview on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “This is a good deal for Ukraine. I mean, the United States working with them to – after the conflict to be able to utilize their natural resources not just to pay back the American taxpayer but to develop the Ukrainian economy. I think it’s a great deal for them and it’s the right deal for us.”
Trump also indicated during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting that the United States is not making “security guarantees” amid negotiations with Ukraine.
“Well, I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much–we’re going to have Europe do that,” Trump said. “Because you know we’re talking about– Europe is their next-door neighbor.”
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Following Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Trump was asked by a member of the press what “concessions” he would like to see as he attempts to negotiate an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Oh, I don’t want to tell right now,” Trump told the reporter. “But I can tell you that NATO-you can forget about. I think that’s probably the reason the whole thing started.”
Following Trump’s statement, the 47th president asked Vice President J.D. Vance if he had a “statement” to add regarding the negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. Trump noted that Vance has “been very much involved” in the negotiation process.
In response, Vance told reporters, “I mean, look, as the president said, we’re not going to do the negotiation in public with the American media. He’s going to do it in private with the president of Russia, with the president of Ukraine, and with other leaders, and I think that’s how this has to go.”
