President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 28, 2025. Trump and Zelensky are meeting today to negotiate a preliminary agreement on sharing Ukraine’s mineral resources that Trump says will allow America to recoup aid provided to Kyiv while supporting Ukraine’s economy. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is leaving Washington without signing a rare earths deal with the United States following a volatile exchange with American leadership.
The meeting between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump at the White House was supposed to be one of resolve and progress, with the two sides agreeing to a deal that would grant the United States access to billions of dollars’ worth of rare earth minerals while working toward security guarantees against future Russian aggression for Ukraine.
