US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had planned to gather in Washington on Friday to mark a high profile of economic negotiations to make the US a partner in the development of Ukraine’s natural resources.
But an extraordinary scene of the Oval Office that he saw both leaders shout at each other removed the signature of the economic pact.
The plan had been for a signature in front of an official press conference on Friday afternoon, but Zelensky left the White House after the lit exchange and Trump posted online that “he can return when ready for peace.”
Friday’s meeting returned acroad after both Vice President JD Vance and Trump called Zelensky “disrespect” in his words and not grateful enough, leading to a word war while the reporters watched.
Trump at one point told Ukraine “You are gambling with World War II” and then added “it will be very difficult to do business like this” after Zelensky tried to make the opportunity that Ukrainian help is in America’s interest.
“You’re not in good position now,” Trump said at another point. “You don’t have the cards.”
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have a heated heat at the Oval office in the White House on February 28. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) ·Andrew Harnik through Getty Images
It left the economic agreement – which is reported to be completed, but now unclear whether it will ever be signed – clearly in limbo.
It is a plan that, according to the leaked text, would create a “reconstruction investment fund to deepen the partnership between the United States of America and Ukraine as part of an attempt to make the US participate in maintaining a long -term financial commitment to develop a sustainable and economically prosperous Ukraine”.
“This is really important,” Zelensky said at a cooler moment, “for the security of the European continent”.
But exactly how – or maybe if at this point – the agreement is to be implemented comes between essential questions about economic effects with security guarantees for Ukraine also an unsolved question.
“You will either make a deal or we are out,” Trump said at a moment on Friday, though it was not clear whether he was referring to the economic agreement or greater attempt for a peace agreement with Russia to end the war.
But Trump, being Trump, the president had not minimized his promises this week that the signature would have had a majority economic reorganization in the region.
“Likes as a great project of economic development,” he said before reaching Zelensky, “so it will be good for both countries.”
“Really really a win-win because it closer to the Ukrainian people and the American business community,” added Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a recent view of the FOX business network. “It tells the American people that there is head for them here.”
The pact aimed to give US companies a key role in developing Ukraine mineral mining such as lithium and titanium. Trump has also described the presence of the company in Ukraine as a de facto security guarantee as it has repeatedly ruled out the use of US troops.
And then the Ukrainian government, as described by the agreement, will contribute 50% of future revenue from a wide range of natural resources owned by government and from oil to minerals to infrastructure assets-the fund in the US providing financial support.
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval office in the White House on Friday. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) ·Andrew Harnik through Getty Images
But the emergence of Friday’s Accreditation between the two leaders immediately raised questions and was probably an indication of the limits of the power of economic diplomacy for Trump.
“It will be a difficult deal to do because attitudes have to change,” Trump said at another light on Friday.
Bad blood between the two leaders extends the years, including a recent ignition to see Trump call Zelensky a “dictator without choice” (while refusing to say the same for Vladimir Putin) and Zelensky shooting behind Trump is living in a “Russian disinformation space”.
This week’s visit marked President Zelensky’s fifth visit to the White House, but first since Trump resumed his job in January. Zelensky met Trump in Paris in December and also spoke to Trump by phone earlier this month.
Rare lands are either a sharp interest in Trump, as well as American companies with many of these minerals underlying modern electronics. But it is unclear how soon they will be reached if an agreement has ever been signed, with many of the Ukraine reserves sitting in the territory currently held by Russia.
And a recent US Geological Study report on the rare elements of the Earth underlined a general landscape where Ukraine is a smaller player. China is the clear nation, holding about 44 million tonnes of rare land reserves – representing almost half of the mine -in -world supply.
Ukraine is not in the first 15 places.
Russia is fifth with 3.8 million tonnes in reserve, and Trump has also tear down a possible rare land deal with that country this week.
Ben Werschkul is a correspondent of Washington for Yahoo Finance.
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