Trump Hints At Meeting With Ukraine's Zelensky To Sign Minerals Deal

US President Donald Trump has invited his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for a meeting in Washington to sign a deal on critical minerals and suggested that the war between Russia and Ukraine could end "within weeks". The American President also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "no problem" with European peacekeeping troops in his country, saying Kermelin does not want "more war."

"I will be meeting with President Zelensky. In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement," Trump told reporters from the Oval Office on Monday. 

President Trump's comments came during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, which happened days after the American leader suggested Zelensky did not need to be part of negotiations about ending the war in Ukraine.

This came after Trump last week branded the Ukrainian a "dictator" following US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia from which Kyiv was excluded.

On talks with Ukraine about gaining access to the country's critical minerals, Trump said, "They're very close to a final deal."

"It'll be a deal with rare earths and various other things, and he would like to come, as I understand it, here to sign it, and that would be great with me," he added.

The offer to share Unkraine's natural resources with America was initiated by Zelensky to secure future US security guarantees. However, the draft deal presented by the Americans last week reportedly sought 50 per cent of revenues from Ukraine's natural resources without offering security commitments in return.

Without the security guarantees, Zelensky had refused to sign a draft deal following which American and Ukrainian diplomats have been in talks to find a compromise.

"They're very close to a final deal," Trump said in the Oval Office. "It'll be a deal with rare earths and various other things, and he would like to come, as I understand it, here to sign it, and that would be great with me." Trump later wrote on his Truth Social platform that the US was in talks with Moscow on an economic agreement.

On Talks With Russia

Trump was also asked about his talks with Russia and European offer of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, an idea Russian officials have categorically rejected to guarantee a demilitarised zone between Ukraine and Russia in any peace settlement.

When asked if Putin would agree to the presence of European peacemaking troops as part of a final agreement, Trump said: "Yeah, he will accept that. I've asked him that question. Because he's not, look, if we do this deal, he's not looking for more war. He doesn't mind but I've specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it."

"I think we could end it (Russia-Ukraine War) within weeks if we're smart," he added.