Minerals deal with Ukraine off the table for now - US Treasury Secretary
Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Getty Images)
The investment deal on securing access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals is not currently under discussion. It was supposed to be signed, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly decided to ruin everything, reports CNN, citing US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
It is worth noting that a meeting took place on Friday between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump. During a conversation with journalists, the leaders had a heated confrontation over their differing views on the situation of the war in Ukraine. Following this, the signing ceremony was canceled, and the Ukrainian president left the White House.
"I don’t know what President Zelensky was thinking — we had President of France Emmanuel Macron in on Monday, great meeting; we had Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, fantastic meeting. They were all on board the arc of the peace agreement. All President Zelenskyi had to do was come in and sign this economic agreement and, again, show no daylight, no daylight between Ukrainian people and the American people, and he chose to blow that up," Bessent said.
When asked whether the deal remains on the agenda or is still being discussed, the US Treasury Secretary replied, "Not at present."
CNN notes that after the heated meeting on Friday, Trump wrote on his social media that Zelenskyy could return to the White House "when he is ready for peace."
Continuing his remarks, Bessent said, "I think we have to see if President Zelensky wants to proceed."
"What’s the use in having an economic agreement that’s going to be rendered moot if he wants the fighting to continue? President Trump wants a peace deal," the Secretary added.
Notably, yesterday, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz stated that after the argument between Trump and Zelenskyy, the American side unanimously decided to suspend negotiations with the Ukrainian leader. The Trump administration announced that future cooperation would be rolled back.
