Will Ukraine Sign the Mineral Deal With the US After the Oval Office Clash? Here’s What Zelenskyy Said- wna24

New Delhi: After the heated clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, many wondered whether Ukraine would still sign the minerals deal with the United States. However, Zelenskyy cleared the doubts during a press briefing in London, confirming that Ukraine is still prepared to sign the deal.

Zelenskyy on Sunday reassured the public that Ukraine remains committed to finalising the mineral deal with the United States.

“The agreement that’s on the table will be signed if the parties are ready…It is our policy to continue what happened in the past, we’re constructive. If we agreed to sign the minerals deal, we’re ready to sign it,” BBC reported quoting the Ukrainian President.

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The deal, originally designed as part of a broader plan to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, seemed to be in jeopardy following the tense and televised confrontation in the Oval Office between Zelenskyy and Trump on Friday.

Zelenskyy had arrived in Washington for a full White House visit, where the two leaders were set to sign a US-Ukrainian agreement aimed at jointly exploiting Ukraine’s vast mineral resources. This was seen as a significant step in Ukraine’s post-war recovery plan, backed by a US-brokered peace agreement.

However, tensions flared during their meeting, as President Trump berated Zelenskyy, demanding that Ukraine show more “gratitude” for the US’s support in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Trump stressed that without US assistance, Ukraine would have likely fallen to Russian forces.

“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” the US President said, adding, “And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

Despite this exchange, Trump had previously described the proposed mineral deal as “very fair,” noting that it would provide financial benefits to the US for assisting Ukraine with a potential truce.

However, Trump had repeatedly refused to commit US military forces to back up European troops as peacekeepers, a point of contention during the talks.

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Following the heated Oval Office meeting, Zelenskyy was asked to leave, cutting short the visit and missing the planned joint press conference. The mineral deal was ultimately left unsigned, with the White House confirming that no agreement had been reached.

Following this US meet setback, many European leaders showed their support for Ukraine at a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The summit saw a collective commitment to increasing security spending and forming a coalition to safeguard any potential truce with Russia.

In the wake of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to the press, revealed that France and Britain were considering proposing a partial one-month truce with Russia, as efforts continue to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

As tensions remain high, it remains to be seen whether the US-Ukrainian mineral deal will go forward. However, Zelenskyy’s comments suggest that Ukraine is still prepared to move ahead with the agreement, despite the rocky start.