Ukraine’s Zelensky wants better terms on minerals deal demanded by Trump
- The Ukrainian president called for security guarantees and better financial terms.
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Trump administration should offer a better deal on mineral rights, pushing back on a proposal that has provoked a public feud with Washington.
Speaking at a press conference Sunday, Zelensky said the current U.S. offer demanded ruinous financial contributions from Ukraine, which on Monday marks the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
He demanded security guarantees as part of any deal, as well as better financial terms. “I don’t want something that 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back," he said.
The Trump administration has demanded preferential access to Ukrainian mineral reserves, which include sought-after titanium, lithium and rare earths, as payback for U.S. aid to Ukraine during the war.
Acrimony over the U.S. demands sparked a war of words between President Trump and Zelensky last week in which the Ukrainian president said Trump was “living in a disinformation space" and Trump called the Ukrainian president a dictator.
Fearing an outright collapse in relations, aides to both presidents tried to push the two sides together and on Friday were saying that they were close to a deal.
This weekend, the Trump administration went on the offensive in defense of the deal. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, national security adviser Mike Waltz called the deal a “reformulation of how the United States provides aid, a partnership with Ukraine economically in their critical minerals" so that the U.S. gets “a return on this massive investment they have made" in Ukraine’s defense.
The dispute over the minerals proposal has played a central role in disagreements between the U.S. and its allies about how best to end the war in Ukraine. Trump has reached out to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and negotiators from the U.S. and Russia met in Saudi Arabia to discuss bilateral relations and the war.
At the same time, Trump has assailed Zelensky for his complaints over not being involved in the talks and Ukraine’s postponement of presidential elections, which according to the country’s legislation can’t take place during martial law.
On Sunday, Zelensky responded to some of Trump’s jabs, reiterating that elections weren’t possible during war.
“How are people at the front going to vote if they can’t return home to vote?" Zelensky said. “I don’t understand what that would be like."
Asked whether he was ready to step down before an election, Zelensky said he would if his resignation led to peace for Ukraine or the country’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“If it’s peace for Ukraine, if I really need to leave my post then I’m ready," he said. “I can exchange it for NATO, if there are such conditions."
Zelensky has long pressed for quick NATO membership, but the Trump administration and some European allies are against it.
Write to Matthew Luxmoore at matthew.luxmoore@wsj.com and Alan Cullison at alan.cullison@wsj.com
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