US President Donald Trump invited Ukrainian President Volodyr Zelensky to Washington to sign a critical minerals agreement, suggesting the Russia-Ukraine war could end “within weeks.” During a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, asserting Putin does not want “more war.” Trump noted that talks on accessing Ukraine’s minerals were nearing a deal, though Ukraine had initially refused a draft offering 50% of resource revenues without security guarantees. He expressed optimism about reaching a compromise and highlighted ongoing economic discussions with Moscow.
Washington, US:
US President Donald Trump has extended an invitation to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for a meeting in Washington to finalize an agreement on critical minerals. He also indicated that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine might conclude “within weeks.” The American President conveyed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “no issue” with the deployment of European peacekeeping forces in Russia, asserting that the Kremlin is not interested in “more war.”
“I will be meeting with President Zelensky. In fact, he may visit this week or next week to sign the agreement,” Trump informed reporters from the Oval Office on Monday.
President Trump’s remarks emerged during a discussion with French President Emmanuel Macron, which occurred shortly after the American leader proposed that Zelensky should not be involved in negotiations aimed at resolving the war in Ukraine.
This statement followed Trump labeling the Ukrainian leader a “dictator” after US-Russia discussions in Saudi Arabia, from which Kyiv was notably absent.
Regarding negotiations with Ukraine for access to the nation’s critical minerals, Trump stated, “They’re on the verge of a final deal.”
“It will involve rare earths and several other elements, and he is keen to come here, as I understand it, to sign it, and that would be fantastic for me,” he elaborated.
Zelensky initiated the proposal to share Ukraine’s natural resources with the US in exchange for future security guarantees from America. However, last week’s draft deal put forth by the US purportedly demanded 50 percent of revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources, without reciprocating with security assurances.
Absence of security guarantees led Zelensky to decline the draft agreement, prompting ongoing discussions between American and Ukrainian diplomats to seek a middle ground.
“They’re on the brink of a final deal,” Trump shared in the Oval Office. “It will include rare earths and various other components, and he would like to come here to sign it, and that would be great with me.” Trump later posted on his Truth Social platform that negotiations were ongoing with Moscow concerning an economic agreement.
On Talks With Russia
Trump also addressed his dialogues with Russia and the European proposal to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, a concept firmly rejected by Russian officials, intended to ensure a demilitarized zone in any peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
When asked whether Putin would agree to the inclusion of European peacekeeping forces in a final settlement, Trump responded: “Yeah, he will accept that. I’ve posed that question to him. Because he’s not, look, if we finalize this deal, he doesn’t want more war. He is amenable to it but I’ve explicitly asked him about it. He has no issues with it.”
“I believe we could resolve the (Russia-Ukraine War) within weeks if we’re astute,” he remarked.