The US and Ukraine have made significant progress towards reaching a minerals deal but Volodymyr Zelensky is not ready to sign an agreement due to a number of “problematic issues,” sources say. The progress comes after US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President traded sharp rhetoric this week about their differences over a deal to provide America with access to the war-torn country’s rare earth minerals.
Zelensky hesitated to sign a deal that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed during a visit to Kyiv last week, and the Ukrainian leader objected again days later during a meeting in Munich with Vice President JD Vance because the American proposal did not include security guarantees.
A Ukrainian source told Sky News that Zelensky was still not ready to accept a deal in its current form. The source said: "The agreement is not yet ready to be signed, there are a number of problematic issues, and in the current form of the draft, the president is not ready to accept it.
"Today, the drafts do not reflect a partnership in the agreement and contain only unilateral commitments by Ukraine.". Trump on Friday renewed his criticism of Zelensky's handling of the three-year war and accused the Ukrainians of wasting Bessent's time.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed Europe must “step up for the good of collective European security” in a call on Saturday, according to Downing Street. Sir Keir reiterated Britain’s “ironclad support” for Ukraine and committed “to securing a just and enduring peace to bring an end to Russia’s illegal war” in a call with Zelensky on Saturday.
Ukraine and the US made significant progress during a three-day visit to Ukraine this week by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, according to a person familiar with the ongoing negotiations. While the Ukrainians were rattled by Trump, a possible agreement came into focus over three days of meetings in Ukraine between Kellogg and Zelensky and other top-ranking Ukrainian officials, the person said.
The talks also reportedly included Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Rada speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and others. As Kellogg returned to Washington on Friday evening, Zelensky in his nightly address said the two sides were still working on a draft agreement.
It was a notably optimistic tone after Trump earlier in the day said Bessent's visit to Kyiv had been a "wasted trip" in a Fox News Radio interview. "Today, Ukrainian and US teams are working on a draft agreement between our governments," Zelensky said in his address. "This agreement can add value to our relations — what matters most is getting the details right to ensure it truly works. I look forward to a just result.".
Trump said he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last autumn by Zelensky as part of his plan to strengthen Kyiv's hand in future negotiations with Moscow. Rare earth elements are a set of 17 elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including phones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.
Trump's national security adviser also expressed confidence on Friday that Zelensky would eventually accept a deal letting the US access his country's rare earth minerals. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Mike Waltz said: "Here's the bottom line. President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal.".
It's not clear whether the White House has offered Ukraine any security guarantees in the emerging deal. Earlier proposals focused on how the US could use Kyiv's minerals "as compensation" for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid.
The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the reported progress. Trump aides — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Waltz — met with senior advisers to Russia's Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia earlier this week for preliminary talks about ending the war.
Trump was criticised by Zelensky for not including Ukraine and other European allies in the talks. Trump has pushed back against that criticism. He said he didn't think it was "important" for Zelensky to be in the meetings and dismissed Zelensky as negotiating "with no cards.".
Earlier this week, Trump warned Zelensky that he "better move fast" to negotiate an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine or risk not having a nation to lead. Trump also said Putin wants to make a deal but has options. "He doesn't have to make a deal," Trump said. "Because if he wanted, he would get the whole country.".
