US Assist 'essential,' Zelenskyy Says Amid Mineral Deal Negotiations

LONDON — Ukraine is “making ready for negotiations” with the U.S. concerning safety ensures and “essential” assist, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned, with the Ukrainian chief anticipated to journey to Washington, D.C. on Friday to fulfill with President Donald Trump and signal a minerals deal.

Kyiv is maneuvering to win a U.S. safety settlement as a part of the proposed minerals deal, a “preliminary framework” of which Ukraine has been engaged on, Zelenskyy advised reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.

However Trump mentioned he wouldn’t supply any safety ensures to Ukraine “past very a lot,” as a part of any settlement. “We’ll have Europe try this,” he advised reporters on the White Home on Wednesday.

In a video assertion posted to the presidential web site on Wednesday night, Zelenskyy mentioned his staff is “working to make sure that Ukrainian positions are protected beneath any circumstances.”

Bucket-wheel excavators mine uncommon earth supplies on Feb. 25, 2025 within the Zhytomyr area of Ukraine.

Libkos/Getty Pictures

“And this is without doubt one of the key situations for the diplomacy we’d like — for the fitting diplomacy that can assure peace for Ukraine,” he added.

The president mentioned there “was a whole lot of worldwide work” on Wednesday. “Our groups are working with america, we’re making ready for negotiations as early as this Friday. The settlement with America. Help for our state and folks.”

“Ensures of peace and safety — that is the important thing to making sure that Russia will not destroy the lives of different nations,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “I’ll meet with President Trump. For me and for all of us on this planet, it’s essential that America’s help isn’t stopped. Energy is important on the trail to peace.”

Trump mentioned Wednesday that he expects to signal the minerals cope with Zelenskyy on the White Home on Friday, including that his administration is “joyful” with the deal. Trump has framed the settlement as a way to recoup American wartime assist to Ukraine.

The international locations agreed to a deal regarding important minerals and different assets, a senior Ukrainian official mentioned on Tuesday.

Particulars of the deal seem to counsel Kyiv has succeeded in considerably bettering the phrases, maybe staring down among the Trump administration’s extra onerous calls for.

The $500 billion demanded by Trump not options within the deal, and the fund that Ukraine pays into can be not going to be 100% U.S.-owned, in accordance with the complete textual content of the settlement obtained by ABC Information.

Ukraine agreed to contribute 50% of all income from its pure assets to a fund collectively owned by Ukraine and the U.S., in accordance with the deal.

The pure useful resource property embrace these immediately or not directly owned by the Ukrainian authorities and are outlined as “deposits of minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, pure gasoline and different extractable supplies, and different infrastructure related to pure useful resource property (equivalent to liquified pure gasoline terminals and port infrastructure).”

Zelenskyy, although, warned that any deal won’t be viable with out U.S. safety backing.

“With out future safety ensures, we won’t have an actual ceasefire,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “And if we do not have it, nothing will work. Nothing will work.”