The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is set to sign an agreement with the USA regarding minerals "in the near future." This was stated by Trump's national security advisor, Michael Waltz, during the Conservative Political Action Conference.
He emphasized that this agreement will be beneficial for all parties involved, as Ukraine will become an economic partner of the United States, people will no longer perish on its territory, and American taxpayers will get back the funds that were sent to Ukraine.
"In September of last year, as part of his victory plan, it was Zelensky who proposed: hey, let’s enter into a partnership together. If the United States invests in us, we have aluminum, we have gallium, we have tritium. We have all these minerals that are essential for the modern economy. Many of them are not fully developed. They require investments. President Trump is a man who knows how to negotiate," noted Waltz.
According to him, the US president proposed the agreement and sent the Secretary of the Treasury to Kyiv to discuss it. The advisor emphasized:
"And then we get this rhetoric in the media. Listen, here’s the point. President Zelensky is going to sign this agreement. And you will see it in a very short timeframe. And that's good for Ukraine. What could be better for Ukraine than being in an economic partnership with the United States, number one? What could be better for Ukraine than stopping the killings, number two? And you know what? We have commitments to you, the American taxpayers, to return the hundreds of billions of dollars that were invested in this war."
Waltz believes that Europe's contribution to the war often comes back through Russian assets that have been frozen.
"So Europe gets its money back, but the American people do not? I don’t think so, right? That’s why we are entering into an agreement that is advantageous for everyone. And yes, you need to talk to the Russian side to understand how we are going to get both sides to the negotiating table. And that’s what we are doing," the politician emphasized.
Waltz added that Trump's term is characterized by "common sense" and "peace." According to him, the US president plans to end the war in Europe and conflicts in the Middle East.
"He is going to reinvest the United States and our leadership in our own hemisphere, from the Arctic to the Panama border, all the way to our good friends in Argentina with Milei, whom you saw yesterday. And you know what? By the end of all this, we will have a Nobel Peace Prize next to Donald Trump's name," concluded the advisor to the American leader.
At the same time, "Suspilne", citing a source in the President's Office, reported that the Ukrainian and American sides worked on the draft agreement regarding minerals all night, but there are currently provisions in the document that raise some questions, particularly concerning security guarantees.
"The teams worked last night until the morning. But to say that the draft agreement on minerals with the USA has been improved in Ukraine's interest is premature. There are still certain security issues that need to be addressed," the source told the publication.
Latest News on the Mineral Agreement
Earlier, Axios reported that Ukraine and the USA spent the night discussing the contentious mineral agreement. According to sources from the publication, the decision now rests with Volodymyr Zelensky. Meanwhile, the publication's sources are concerned that the crisis between the USA and Ukraine will escalate if the Ukrainian leader rejects the proposal.
At the same time, Politico believes that the USA wants to pressure Zelensky into signing the mineral agreement. According to sources from the publication, Trump's words about Zelensky should not be taken too seriously. They emphasized that this is part of the US president's negotiation tactics, who seeks to achieve the most favorable deal possible.