U.S President Donald Trump appears to have won his trade standoff with Volodymyr Zelensky, as the Ukrainian president is set to give in and sign a deal giving the U.S. access to deposits of critical minerals.
The deal was seen as crucial for satisfying Washington’s demands for a peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia to end their three-year long war.
Zelensky told a nightly video address on Friday that teams of American and Ukrainian negotiators are working on a draft agreement, signaling an imminent deal.
‘This is an agreement that can strengthen our relations, and the key is to work out the details to ensure its effectiveness,’ he said. ‘I look forward to the outcome – a just result.’
It’s a staggering surrender by Zelensky, who just days earlier angrily lashed out at Trump saying: ‘I can’t sell our country.’
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday evening: ‘We’re signing an agreement, hopefully in the next fairly short period of time.’
A deal could be struck as soon as Saturday, people briefed on negotiations told the Wall Street Journal.
The exact terms are not yet clear, however Trump had been pushing for $500 billion worth of minerals in exchange for continued military support.
It comes after Zelensky angered Trump so much during negotiations that the president threatened to completely pull US funding from Ukraine, Axios reported.
Reuters also reported that American negotiators said they may cut Kyiv’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has been heavily relied on for civilian and military use, if it did not agree to the mineral rights deal.
