The former US president stated that the agreement should have been finalized three weeks ago.
Donald Trump has publicly criticized Ukraine’s President, Vladimir Zelensky, for being “three weeks late” in finalizing a minerals agreement with the United States. In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump urged the immediate signing of the deal.
The US and Ukraine have been in talks for weeks regarding an agreement that would give the US access to Ukraine’s natural resources, notably rare-earth minerals essential for advanced technology sectors.
Ukraine hopes the deal will solidify a long-term security partnership with the US, though the Trump administration has been hesitant to commit to this. The US argues the agreement should compensate for past aid given to Ukraine during the conflict with Russia, while Ukraine maintains that the aid was unconditional.
According to Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister, Yulia Sviridenko, a preliminary Memorandum of Intent was signed the previous week. However, Trump has voiced concerns that the process is taking too long.
“Ukraine, led by Vladimir Zelensky, has yet to sign the final documents for the crucial Rare Earths Deal with the United States, and is at least three weeks behind schedule. It should be signed IMMEDIATELY,” he posted.
The agreement was initially expected to be signed in February during Zelensky’s visit to the White House. However, the visit resulted in a tense exchange between the two leaders. Trump accused Zelensky of disrespecting the US and showing a lack of gratitude for American aid, while also being unwilling to seek peace with Russia and potentially “gambling with World War III.” Trump later suggested Zelensky was “trying to back out” of the deal, warning of “big, big problems” if he did.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated last week that White House officials were “still working on the details” regarding the time and location of the signing, with expectations that negotiations would conclude by April 26, as also outlined in the Memorandum of Intent.
In his Friday post, Trump also addressed the Ukraine peace negotiations, stating that “work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is progressing smoothly” and that “success seems likely in the future.” In another post, he mentioned plans to meet with Russian and Ukrainian representatives on Saturday in Rome, where he is attending Pope Francis’ funeral, which Zelensky is also expected to attend.
“They are very close to an agreement, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to finalize it. Most of the key issues have been agreed upon,” Trump wrote.
Although the specifics haven’t been officially revealed, the proposal from Washington reportedly involves US recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a “freezing” of the conflict along the current front lines, acknowledging Moscow’s control over significant portions of the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia, and formally opposing Ukraine’s bid to join NATO.