The White House has confirmed that former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not finalise a mineral agreement during their discussions on Friday.
A senior US official, speaking to Reuters, stated that while Trump had not ruled out such a deal, it would only be considered when Ukraine was ready for a constructive discussion on the matter.
At the beginning of the meeting, Trump had told Zelenskyy that a ceasefire with Russia was “fairly close” and described a potential agreement on US access to Ukraine’s natural resources as “very fair.”
Their talks at the White House were expected to lead to a deal granting the United States rights to rare-earth and other essential minerals, forming part of a broader effort to support Ukraine’s recovery following a potential peace agreement with Russia.
What else happened?
US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky were involved in a tense shouting match at the Oval Office on Friday, throwing ongoing efforts to resolve the war with Russia into uncertainty.
The meeting, initially intended to ease tensions, quickly escalated. An angry Trump told Zelensky, "You’re either going to make a deal or we're out."
As discussions grew heated, Trump warned the Ukrainian leader, "Your country is in big trouble." When Zelensky attempted to respond, Trump cut him off. "No, no, you've done a lot of talking," he said, before repeating, "Your country is in big trouble."
Trump accused Zelensky of "gambling with World War III", pointing his finger at the Ukrainian leader.
"What you are doing is disrespectful to the country - this country that's backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have," Trump said.
Zelensky calmly interjected, saying, "I'm with all respect for your country".
In the middle of it, Vance said that "diplomacy was needed to end the war, to which Zelensky asked "What kind of diplomacy?". Following this, the US president accused him of being "disrespectful" in the president's office.