Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the White House on Friday for talks with President Trump on finalizing an agreement for the U.S. to develop minerals and rare earths in the country as reimbursement for America’s military aid.
The mineral deal is among several weighty topics the two world leaders are expected to discuss during their meeting. They will also talk about ending Russia’s war on Ukraine, how to safeguard the war-torn nation if the war ends and how European countries can shoulder the burden for the security costs.
A joint press conference will follow the meeting.
As Mr. Zelenskyy arrived at the White House in his war fatigues, Mr. Trump pointed at the outfit and joked, “He’s all dressed up today.”
Mr. Trump ignored a reporter’s question about whether he had a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The mineral deal will give the U.S. half of the revenue from Ukrainian critical and rare-earth mineral sales, but it does not include any American security guarantees. Mr. Trump has pushed for the deal as payback for the billions in aid the U.S. has sent to Kyiv.
At a joint press conference Thursday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mr. Trump said having U.S. companies mining Ukrainian minerals will be enough to deter a second invasion.
“I don’t think anyone is going to play around if we’re there with a lot of workers,” he said.
Under the deal approved this week by the Ukrainian government, a joint U.S.-Ukraine ownership venture would be established with Kyiv using half of its revenues from the fund being reinvested to redevelop the war-ravaged nation.
Once the initial framework is formally in place, the two countries will negotiate a subsequent agreement over the fund and its operation. Mr. Trump has demanded $500 billion of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for the roughly $185 billion in aid it has provided; the current version doesn’t include a concrete figure for mineral revenues.
Rare earths include 17 elements and 15 metals. They are used in a wide range of applications, including consumer electronics, electric vehicles, aircraft engines, medical equipment, oil refining and military applications like missiles and radar systems.
China controls 60% of the world’s precious metals.
Mr. Zelenskyy is the third world leader Mr. Trump has hosted this week, after French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr. Starmer.
Mr. Trump will also try to smooth over any rifts with Mr. Zelenskyy as the pair’s feud has continued to escalate in recent weeks. The U.S. president has falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war with Russia and called Mr. Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections.”
Ukrainian and European leaders also expressed frustration that they were excluded from peace talks in Saudi Arabia between the U.S. and Russia.
At the same time, Mr. Trump has made overtures to Mr. Putin in a bid to end the war. Mr. Trump has said that the Russian president has to make some concessions to end the war, but has not spelled out what they would be.
Mr. Trump on Thursday brushed aside a question about whether he still considers the Ukrainian leader to be a dictator.
“Did I say that?” Mr. Trump asked. “I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.