President Donald Trump said Thursday that a minerals deal with Ukraine will be signed in a week.
He made the announcement from the Oval Office, standing beside Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later clarified the date — April 26 is more likely.
Not many details have been released. Bloomberg reported the U.S. dropped its repayment demand from $300 billion to $100 billion.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy doesn’t view past aid as debt. But he admitted Ukraine must pay for future military help. "Good progress" was made last week in meetings with Trump officials, he said Wednesday.
Bessent told reporters the agreement is "substantially what was agreed upon previously." He hinted it includes U.S. rights to rare earth minerals.
Zelenskyy said a memorandum of understanding is ready to sign — a necessary step before finalizing the deal.
Bessent echoed this and said the memo was meant to be signed during Zelenskyy’s White House visit in February. "We went straight to the big deal," Bessent added.
That "big deal" caused the Oval Office blow-up seen on live TV. Zelenskyy reportedly refused to sign it.
Trump had little to say about who would sign or where it would happen. Past reports say neither Trump nor Zelenskyy need to be present.
The most likely signers? Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and Bessent.