Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged President Donald Trump on Friday not to compromise with a killer, referring to the Russian leader, as they met to sign a deal for U.S. participation in Ukraine's mineral industry.
Trump and Zelenskiy sat down for talks in the Oval Office as Kyiv seeks to bolster U.S. support and Trump opens talks with Moscow.
Zelenskiy, who has billions of dollars in U.S. arms and moral support from the Biden administration for his war on Russia, faces a stark contrast from Trump. Trump wants to end the three-year war, improve relations with Russia and recoup money spent on propping up Ukraine.
Trump greeted Zelenskiy as he arrived at the White House before they headed for talks, lunch and then a joint news conference where they will sign the deal.
"I hope I'll be remembered as a peacemaker," Trump said.
Zelenskiy used blunt language to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging Trump to "not compromise with a killer."
Trump told Zelenskiy that his soldiers were very brave and that the United States wanted to see the fighting end and the money go to "all sorts of things like reconstruction."
Trump has taken a far less committed stance on European security, a shift in tone that has sent shockwaves through Europe and stoked fears in Kyiv and among its allies that they could be coerced into a peace deal that benefits Russia.
The agreement negotiated in recent days would open up Ukraine's vast mineral wealth to the United States but does not include explicit American security guarantees for Ukraine, a disappointment to Kyiv. Trump said the presence of Americans in the business would serve as a form of reassurance.
How much the deal would cost the United States was not disclosed. Trump has said he expects to get hundreds of billions of dollars. Zelenskiy has said he would not sign a deal that would leave his country in debt for generations.
Ukraine will contribute 50% of "all revenues derived from the future monetization of all relevant natural resource assets of the Government of Ukraine" to a reconstruction fund jointly owned and managed by the United States and Ukraine.
The agreement does not specify how the fund will be spent, or identify the specific assets it covers, though it says it will include mineral deposits, oil and natural gas and infrastructure such as gas terminals and ports.
The Washington talks are a diplomatic boost for Zelenskiy, who has repeatedly spoken of the importance of meeting Trump in person before the U.S. president holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Ukraine is quite clever in turning the tables, and using this (the minerals deal) as an opening to engage the U.S.," said a senior European diplomat based in Kyiv, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.
Kyiv hopes the agreement will spur Trump to support Ukraine's war effort, and potentially even win support from Republicans in Congress for a new round of aid. (Newsmaker23)
Source: Investing.com
