U.S. Nears Deal for Ukraine’s Natural Resources [WATCH]

President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration is close to finalizing a deal with Ukraine that would grant the United States rights to access the country’s natural resources in exchange for the billions of dollars in aid provided to Ukraine during its war with Russia.

BREAKING: Zelenskyy SURRENDERS to President Trump and will be signing a mineral deal within HOURS. pic.twitter.com/IeaxBYIgoj

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 22, 2025

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“You know, I think they want it, and they feel good about it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office following the swearing-in ceremony of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

“And it’s significant. It’s a big deal. But they want it, and it keeps us in that country. And they’re very happy about it.

“We get our money back. They should have been signed long before we went in. They should have been signed by Biden. But Biden didn’t know too much about what he was doing,” Trump added.

“The war should have never happened, No. 1. When it did happen, it could have been settled.”

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“The first week or two weeks after that, it got bad. It got really bad, but it should have been, it should have never happened. And it should have been settled, and it could have been settled very easily at the beginning. Now it’s tougher, but we’ll get it settled.”

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz confirmed during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to sign the deal soon.

“Here’s the bottom line: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term,” Waltz said.

Waltz also appeared on Fox & Friends earlier in the week, urging Ukraine to “tone down” its criticism of Trump and return to the negotiating table to finalize an economic agreement with the United States.

The proposed deal would allow U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, including titanium, iron, and uranium, as part of a broader effort to recover the cost of American aid and strengthen economic ties between the two nations.

Today, Ukrainian and U.S. teams are working on a draft agreement between our governments. This agreement can add value to our relations—what matters most is getting the details right to ensure it truly works.

I look forward to a just results. pic.twitter.com/o9jbiiiJTq

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 21, 2025

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed the initiative during an interview on Fox News Wednesday, stating that Trump is working toward a “win-win” partnership with Ukraine.

“Part of my trip was to go and tell the Ukrainian people that we wanted an economic partnership with them,” Bessent told Bret Baier on Special Report.

“So, President Trump’s vision is [to] bring the Ukrainian people and the American people closer together economically, show the Ukrainian people that we support them, show the American people that the money that is going into Ukraine, that there is going to be a return, that there’s going to be a long-term partnership,” he added.

While negotiations continue, tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy have escalated, particularly as the U.S. engages with Russian officials in discussions about a potential peace agreement.

Trump criticized Zelenskyy’s handling of the war and his approach to negotiations, suggesting the Ukrainian leader lacks leverage.

“I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade.

“I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it,” he continued.

“You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.”

Trump also noted that Bessent’s recent trip to Kyiv to broker the mineral agreement was largely unsuccessful, stating that the negotiations “couldn’t even come close” to a deal.

The president called the trip a dangerous and unproductive effort, though Waltz maintained that securing U.S. investment in Ukraine’s resources would provide the country with “the best security guarantee they could ever hope for.”

As negotiations continue, the Trump administration remains focused on securing economic benefits for the United States while pursuing a resolution to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

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