US, Ukraine ‘pretty close’ to seal rare minerals deal : Donald Trump days after calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’

United States President Donald Trump on Friday said that the White House and Ukraine are close to finalising an agreement related to rare earth minerals. The progress comes days after Trump called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “comedian, dictator.”

“I think we’re pretty close,” Trump told reporters on Friday.

The Ukraine-US deal will pave the way for America to access Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and strengthen their relationship, reported AP, citing sources.

Ukraine and US are working on draft agreement: Zelenskyy

“Today, Ukrainian and US teams are working on a draft agreement between our governments,” Zelenskyy said in his address on Friday. “This agreement can add value to our relations — what matters most is getting the details right to ensure it works. I look forward to a just result.”

Zelenskyy's comments hinted at positive outcome of a conversation between his chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, and U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy trade barbs

The development has come days after Donald Trump criticised Volodymyr Zelenskyy for war with Russia. Trump even called him a dictator, comedian and urged him to move fast with negotiation.

Earlier, Zelenskyy had accused Trump of “living in a disinformation space” formed by Russia.

US-Ukraine rare earth minerals agreement: What is it?

The United States and Ukraine are working on a deal to grant the US access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals reserves. Rare earth elements are a set of seventeen elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.

Initially, the deal was proposed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a bid to boost US-Ukraine ties and give his country an upper hand in future negotiations with Russia for the ongoing war.

The proposal also focused on how the extraction of rare earth minerals can be a “compensation” for the US supporting Ukraine under Joe Biden’s leadership. However, Ukraine objected to the proposed deals for certain reasons.

Ukraine-US rare minerals deal: Why did Zelenskyy object the agreement?

According to the AP, Zelenskyy objected to the proposal for the rare earth minerals agreement because it did not include security guarantees.

Zelenskyy said he balked at signing off on a deal that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed during a visit to Kyiv last week. Days later, during a meeting in Munich with Vice President JD Vance, the Ukrainian leader objected again because the American proposal did not include security guarantees.

US-Ukraine rare earth minerals deal progress

The deal finally made some progress during retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg's three-day visit to Ukraine, which concluded on Friday. Kellogg is Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia.

AP reported that after Kellogg returned to the United States, Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism about the agreement between America and Ukraine.