Washington โ Ukrainian officials have indicated to their U.S. counterparts they are willing to sign a key minerals agreement, days after the original plan to sign the deal at the White House imploded in an acrimonious Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been one of the negotiators who spoke with Zelenskyy about the minerals agreement was asked by CBS News โFace the Nationโ moderator Margaret Brennan Sunday whether the economic deal was still on the table.
โNot at present,โ he responded.
Multiple sources said a deal is not finalized. And the parameters of the agreement could change because the president is now holding out for a โbigger, better deal,โ said a person familiar with the talks, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the details of the back-and-forth.
Administration officials told CBS there was no plan Tuesday afternoon for Mr. Trump or his top advisers to sign a deal.
โNobody wants peace more than Ukrainians,โ Zelenskyy wrote in a lengthy post on social media Tuesday. โMy team and I stand ready to work under President Trumpโs strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.โ
Roughly 20% of Ukrainian land โ a vast swath of the eastern Donbas region plus Crimea โ is now under Russian control. The occupied territory includes a significant portion of Ukraineโs mineral reserves, including rare earth elements used in defense, aerospace, technology and energy production.
Ukraine is believed to hold about 5% of the worldโs total reserves of rare earth elements. The U.S., which covers about 12 times as much ground, is estimated to have only 1-2% of the worldโs rare earths, by comparison.
Tucker Reals
contributed to this report.
