Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelenki left the White House Friday afternoon without signing a deal that gave the US access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals and fossil fuels, according to administrative officials.
The agreement, negotiated with Treasury Secretary Scott Becent and Zelensky and representatives of Ukraine, would have established a jointly owned fund by the two countries to manage Ukraine's strategic mineral and fossil fuel rights.
Signing the contract would have marked a major victory for Ukraine as it had called for a meeting with US President Zelensky, prior to the expected peace talks between the US president and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and promised to align its economic and strategic interests with the US people.
But President Trump derailed the debate by finishing the White House meeting after Zelensky in a sit-in in an oval office where the press was allowed to question him, and challenging the US's diplomatic strategy to end the war.
President Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of questioning the US plan in an oval office in front of American news media.
“He downplayed the United States in his precious oval office,” President Trump wrote in his social account of truth. “He can come back when he's ready for peace.”
Zelensky wanted to ensure stronger security assurances as part of the contract. President Trump had already shown that he didn't want to admit.
After Zelensky's conflict, President Trump ended the meeting and kicked Zelensky out of the White House. The Ukrainian diplomat tried to patch things up before Zelensky left, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio and another administrative authorities told him the Ukrainian president must leave the White House.
