\n<\/p>\n
The Trump administration appeared to be making progress on Friday toward a deal that would give the United States valuable mineral rights in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The movement came after a week in which President Trump, initially rebuffed on an agreement, turned up the pressure by assailing Ukraine and suggesting he would side with Russia<\/a> in seeking to end the war there.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump boasted at the White House that he was nearing a deal that could bring up to $500 billion to the United States. \u201cSo we\u2019re signing an agreement, hopefully in the next fairly short period of time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine likewise said his country was working on a draft agreement between the two governments, seemingly tamping down the tensions that had flared with Mr. Trump over a deal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis agreement can add value to our relations \u2014 what matters most is getting the details right to ensure it truly works,\u201d Mr. Zelensky said in a social media post on Friday.<\/p>\n The signs of easing tensions only underscored how Mr. Trump has struck an overtly transactional and mercantilist stance toward resolving a conflict, started by Russia, that carries profound security implications for Europe and the future of the trans-Atlantic alliance.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump and his allies had waged an all-out pressure campaign against the Ukrainian president, suggesting the United States might abandon the war-torn country and side with Russia, which launched an invasion into its western neighbor three years ago.<\/p>\n During a radio interview Friday with the Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Mr. Trump said he was \u201ctired\u201d of hearing that Russia was to blame for the war as he painted Mr. Zelensky and his predecessor, President Joseph R. Biden Jr., as the true problems.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time I say, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s not Russia\u2019s fault,\u2019 I always get slammed by the fake news,\u201d Mr. Trump said. \u201cBut I\u2019m telling you, Biden said the wrong things. Zelensky said the wrong things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Trump emphasized he wanted rare earth and other minerals from Ukraine in exchange for any support from the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cWho knows what rare earth is worth, you know, but at least it\u2019s something,\u201d Mr. Trump said.<\/p>\n In the Oval Office, Mr. Trump continued to rail against Ukraine and Mr. Biden for not extracting more demands out of the country.<\/p>\n \u201cBiden just gave them money \u2014 there was no loan, there was no security, was no anything,\u201d Mr. Trump said. \u201cSo we\u2019re going to either sign a deal, or there\u2019s going to be a lot of problems with them. So we\u2019re going to sign a deal to get security, because we have to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Mr. Trump began his verbal assault, Kyiv has focused on strengthening its negotiating position as the United States and Russia open talks on ending the war \u2014 with or without Ukraine\u2019s involvement. In a flurry of diplomacy on Thursday and Friday, Mr. Zelensky spoke with half a dozen leaders in Europe and Canada to shore up other sources of support.<\/p>\n Kyiv and Moscow engaged in direct talks early in the invasion but since April of 2022 have negotiated only over prisoner of war exchanges and to return Ukrainian children from Russia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The idea of trading natural resources for U.S. assistance was first put forward by Ukraine, but Mr. Zelensky balked when the U.S. proposal suggested that Kyiv provide access to profits from 50 percent of the country\u2019s minerals and energy resources<\/a>. Mr. Zelensky had also objected that the deal included no American security commitments.<\/p>\n Several aides to Mr. Zelensky believe that a new version of the agreement under discussion on Thursday addresses those concerns, and have now advised Mr. Zelensky to sign it, a person familiar with discussions in the Ukrainian government about the U.S. proposal said on Friday. The shift in some Ukrainian officials\u2019 stance on the deal was first reported by Axios<\/a>.<\/p>\n