By Michael Birnbaum
Feb. 23, 2025
The Trump administration and the Ukrainian government were nearing a deal Friday to hand Ukrainian mineral resources over to the United States in exchange for continued security assistance, a person familiar with the negotiations said, potentially easing President Donald Trump’s days of attacks against the embattled country and its leadership.
Both Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that they were making progress in their discussions after the Ukrainian leader last week initially declined a demand from the Trump administration that he hand over half of Ukraine’s mineral resources to the United States. The request shocked the Ukrainians, officials said, because the potential value of the resources far exceeded that of U.S. assistance.
The progress being made toward a deal underscored the way in which Trump has quickly reshaped Washington’s role in the world by shifting U.S. power toward winning deals from other nations rather than acting to uphold alliances or pushing back on efforts to redraw boundaries by force.
Trump this week called the democratically elected Zelensky a “dictator,” blamed Ukraine for starting the war even though Russia invaded unprovoked, and expressed respect toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has imprisoned, exiled and killed his opponents since gaining power 25 years ago.
“I’ve had very good talks with Putin, and I’ve had not such good talks with Ukraine,” Trump said Friday ahead of a meeting with governors. “They don’t have any cards, but they play it tough.”
Trump’s Ukraine envoy, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, left the country Friday after days of discussions in Kyiv. Kellogg has been far more sympathetic to Ukraine and Zelensky, and on Friday wrote on X that he had “extensive and positive discussions with [Zelensky], the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war and his talented national security team.”
The combination of Trump and Kellogg, and their “good cop/bad cop approach has this close to complete,” the person familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly about the sensitive talks. “Kellogg had long, hard conversations with Zelensky and his team, followed by a visit to meet with wounded soldiers, which was appreciated by Zelensky.” Progress on the deal was first reported by Axios.
Zelensky said in a video posted on X on Friday that the discussions were making progress.
“This agreement can add value to our relations — what matters most is getting the details right to ensure it truly works. I look forward to a just result,” he said.
Trump’s associates have said that U.S. investment could motivate a deeper U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine militarily.
“I can’t think of a better security assurance than private equity folks on the ground, American businessmen on the ground trying to do deals and help rebuild or help bring economic development,” Trump’s special envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. “If you’ve got a bunch of Americans, or Westerners even, that are in Ukraine, that are in the Black Sea doing economic development, I can’t think of a better way to have a security assurance.”
