White House doubts necessity of Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump on Friday – Reuters
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The White House has expressed doubts about the appropriateness of inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with US President Donald Trump. The concerns stem from Zelenskyy's remarks regarding the minerals deal, Reuters reports.
Doubts about the presidential meeting arose after Zelenskyy's statements that the mineral deal had not been finalized, a White House official told Reuters.
"If the Ukrainian leader says the deal isn’t finalized, I don’t see why an invitation would make sense," he said.
According to the official, the White House expects Zelenskyy's visit to confirm his final stance on the mineral agreement, but he has stated that no such deal has been reached.
The official noted that Zelenskyy's recent comments from Kyiv suggest the mineral deal is still not completed.
Minerals deal
On February 26, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Ukraine and the US had essentially finalized the agreement on rare earth minerals. As of today, the agreement is called the Agreement on Establishing the Rules and Conditions of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.
Later, during a briefing, President Zelenskyy stated that government officials assessed the final version of the agreement positively. He emphasized that he personally reviewed the document and plans to work with it. According to him, the key issues he raised are properly reflected in the agreement.
At the same time, the President mentioned that, after the rare earth minerals agreement, Ukraine plans to sign another deal with the US related to the investment fund.
He also added that the success of the agreement could be significant, but its outcome depends on his conversation with US President Donald Trump.
Visit to the US
President Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine had been offered a visit to the US and that the offices are currently working on the arrangements.
"There is a tentative date. President mentioned Friday. I have an important question. I really want this visit," Zelenskyy stated.
Additionally, on February 25, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy would visit the White House on Friday and that the Ukrainian President would like to sign a minerals deal.
