Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to have his first meeting with President Donald Trump since the latter resumed office. The purpose of this meeting is to finalize a potentially crucial minerals deal that could contribute to ending Russia’s ongoing war.
Although certain aspects of the agreement have been disclosed following the announcement of the meeting earlier in the week, the precise terms are still not entirely clear. European leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, are keenly observing the developments of this deal, especially in terms of security requirements.
During discussions on Wednesday, Trump mentioned to reporters that Zelenskyy should not hold onto hopes of NATO membership. However, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for security assurances on the same day, stating that without them, achieving a ceasefire and progress would be unattainable.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at a news conference on Feb. 26, 2025. Zelenskyy said he received an invitation to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington after negotiators secured a draft agreement giving the U.S. access to the country’s mineral resources. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But it remains unclear if this “guarantee” will be enough to comfort Zelenskyy, and according to former CIA Moscow Station Chief Dan Hoffman, there are too many outstanding factors to determine whether Putin would be deterred, including Kyiv’s rearmament capabilities and whether NATO nations would agree to send in troops to Ukraine.
“As far as deterring Putin from attacking again [and] as far as Ukraine’s relationship with the United States, especially with this administration, you want the U.S. to have economic skin in the game,” Hoffman said. “That’s how you walk down that path of closer bilateral relationship, and one where it’s certainly in our interest … for [Ukraine] to be an independent, sovereign nation.”
Trump said on Wednesday that European allies, including the U.K. and France, will be watching U.S. negotiations with Ukraine and Russia “very closely.”
“They volunteered to put so-called peacekeepers on the site. And I think that’s a good thing,” he added.
In response to questions by Fox News Digital over the European Union’s position on a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, top diplomat for the EU, Kaja Kallas, said the agreement could prove positive for Kyiv so long as it puts Ukraine in a position of strength when it comes to countering Russia at the negotiating table.
Kaja Kallas (Nicolas Landemard/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“[The] U.S. also has a very clear self-interest in play, and that hopefully makes U.S. support Ukraine more, because economic ties are making this stronger,” she said. “And then it all works.”
“Right now, it is a very important message that we send that we are behind Ukraine, to make them strong enough to be able to say no to a bad deal,” she added.
But it’s not just European allies watching the dealings unfold; Putin is also keeping a close eye on a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.
Putin’s representatives reportedly proposed a similar deal to the Trump administration while meeting in Saudi Arabia last week, and they said a deal could be brokered to give the U.S. access to minerals in Ukrainian regions now occupied by invading Russian forces, including Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
The Trump administration has reportedly not ruled out an economic deal with Moscow.
Hoffman said it is in Zelenskyy’s strategic interest to make a deal with Trump, as it would hamper Putin’s strategic goals.
“[Putin] doesn’t want Ukraine to have commercial relationships with Europe and the United States,” he said. “That was part of why he wanted to topple the central government in Kyiv and then install a puppet regime that was beholden to Russia.
“The more links Ukraine has to the West … commercial links, diplomatic and strategic military links … it’s not good for Putin,” Hoffman added.
