Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House on Friday afternoon without signing a deal that would have given the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and fossil fuels, according to administration officials.
The deal, negotiated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other U.S. officials with Zelensky and Ukrainian representatives, would have established a fund jointly owned by both countries to manage Ukraine’s strategic mineral and fossil fuel rights.
Signing the agreement would have marked a major victory for Ukraine, as it promised to align its economic and strategic interests with those of the U.S. Zelensky had sought a meeting with President Trump ahead of expected peace talks between the U.S. president and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
However, President Trump ended the White House meeting early after Zelensky, during a sit down in the Oval Office where the press was allowed to ask questions, derailed discussions by challenging the U.S. diplomatic strategy for ending the war.
Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance accused Zelensky of being disrespectful for questioning the U.S. plan in the Oval Office in front of the American news media.
“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Zelensky had hoped to secure stronger security guarantees as part of the agreement—something President Trump had already signaled he was unwilling to concede.
After Zelensky’s confrontation, President Trump ended the meeting and had Zelensky thrown out of the White House. Ukrainian diplomats attempted to patch things up before Zelensky departed but were told by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and another administration official that the Ukrainian president would have to leave the White House, according to an administration official.
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