Zelensky says Ukraine, US preparing for talks on February 28

Previously, Trump announced that Zelensky would sign the deal at the White House on Friday (February 28). "Our teams are working with America, we are preparing for talks this Friday," Zelensky said in a video posted to his official Telegram channel

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that US and Ukrainian teams are preparing for negotiations on Friday.

In his evening address, Zelensky said on Wednesday that he will meet US President Donald Trump. The minerals partnership agreement, support for Ukraine and security guarantees will be on the agenda of the potential meeting, he added. “It is important to me and to all of us around the world that the US’s aid is not stopped. Strength is essential on the path to peace,” he said.

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Previously, Trump announced that Zelensky would sign the deal at the White House on Friday (February 28). “Our teams are working with America, we are preparing for talks this Friday,” Zelensky said in a video posted to his official Telegram channel.

Following a series of intensive negotiations, Washington and Kyiv agreed on a deal to establish a fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50 per cent of proceeds from the “future monetisation” of state-owned mineral resources, including oil, gas, and logistics infrastructure.

Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved the decision to sign the mineral resources agreement on Wednesday, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. The agreement does not lay out any concrete security guarantees in exchange for US access to Ukraine’s mineral resource revenues.

Zelensky told reporters that although specific measures are not included in the current agreement, guarantees will be discussed in future negotiations. “Guarantees of peace and security are the key to ensuring that Russia no longer destroys the lives of other nations,” he said in his Wednesday address.

Zelensky initially rejected a proposed US minerals agreement because it lacked security guarantees for Ukraine, something Kyiv has said is essential to any deal. Zelensky’s rejection triggered backlash from the Trump administration, which put increasing pressure on Ukraine to sign the deal even as it made overtures toward Moscow.

The White House has characterised the agreement as a way for the US to “recoup” the financial aid it has directed to Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Trump said on Tuesday that the deal offers Ukraine “military equipment and the right to fight on”. In his remarks on Wednesday, Zelensky said the agreement is a sign of US support.