Trump-Zelensky: White House’s clash derails minerals deal
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On Friday, February 28th, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky met at the White House to ratify the minerals deal on so-called rare earths. However, the press conference that was supposed to precede the closed-door meeting ended abruptly. In fact, the Ukrainian president was seen leaving the White House directly after the meeting with the press.
Initially, the meeting seemed promising, especially after Trump's statements expressing confidence in the success of the agreement. However, about fifty minutes in, tensions escalated dramatically. In front of the press pool in the Oval Office, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance clashed hard with Zelensky, accusing him of not being sufficiently grateful to the U.S. and of supporting the Democratic Party's electoral campaign in the last elections by attending a rally in Pennsylvania for former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The Ukrainian leader reiterated the need for guarantees to accompany the mining rights agreement, but the intense confrontation with the Trump administration temporarily halted the chances of ratification between the two countries. In reality, the fragile relationship between Kiev and Washington is not new: the American tycoon's victory in the last presidential elections had already signaled a shift in direction from the previous administration's handling of geopolitical issues in which the U.S. is involved. Therefore, Trump’s approach to the Kremlin is viewed with suspicion by Kiev.
At the end of the talks, Trump commented on the meeting on Truth Social, calling it “significant” but stating that the United States would return to the negotiation table with Ukraine only when President Zelensky demonstrates a genuine willingness for peace.
Initially, the meeting seemed promising, especially after Trump's statements expressing confidence in the success of the agreement. However, about fifty minutes in, tensions escalated dramatically. In front of the press pool in the Oval Office, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance clashed hard with Zelensky, accusing him of not being sufficiently grateful to the U.S. and of supporting the Democratic Party's electoral campaign in the last elections by attending a rally in Pennsylvania for former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The Ukrainian leader reiterated the need for guarantees to accompany the mining rights agreement, but the intense confrontation with the Trump administration temporarily halted the chances of ratification between the two countries. In reality, the fragile relationship between Kiev and Washington is not new: the American tycoon's victory in the last presidential elections had already signaled a shift in direction from the previous administration's handling of geopolitical issues in which the U.S. is involved. Therefore, Trump’s approach to the Kremlin is viewed with suspicion by Kiev.
At the end of the talks, Trump commented on the meeting on Truth Social, calling it “significant” but stating that the United States would return to the negotiation table with Ukraine only when President Zelensky demonstrates a genuine willingness for peace.