President Trump on Wednesday said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington this week to sign a mineral deal between the two nations as Mr. Trump seeks to end Ukraine’s war with Russia.

“Ukraine President Zelenskyy is going to be coming on Friday. That’s now confirmed, and we’re going to be signing an agreement, which will be a very big agreement,” Mr. Trump said at the first Cabinet meeting of his second term.

Mr. Trump’s comments come amid reports that Kyiv is still refusing to agree to the mineral deal. The pact involves the U.S. gaining access to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, which the Trump administration is demanding as payback for U.S. aid provided to the European country.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.