Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump are "pretty close" to striking a deal with Ukraine to access its natural resources. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance/Curtis Means/Daily Mail/Bloomberg)
The deal for U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals is part of broader negotiations to end the war in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in 2022.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Wednesday Trump is creating a "win-win" partnership between the United States and Ukraine with the deal days after meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
"Part of my trip was to go and tell the Ukrainian people that we wanted an economic partnership with them," Bessent told Bret Baier on "Special Report."
"So, President Trump's vision is [to] bring the Ukrainian people and the American people closer together economically, show the Ukrainian people that we support them, show the American people that the money that is going into Ukraine, that there is going to be a return, that there's going to be a long-term partnership."
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The Trump administration is seeking to recoup the cost of aid sent to the war-torn country by gaining access to rare earth minerals like titanium, iron and uranium.
The delay also comes amid rising tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy as the U.S. works with Russian officials to broker a peace deal in the ongoing war.
Trump argued on Fox News Zelenskyy has "no cards" to negotiate leverage for a deal as the pair have publicly hurled insults at one another in recent days.
"I've been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated," Trump told Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade.
U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak during a news conference in Kyiv Feb. 12. (Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images)
"I've been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it," he added. "You just get sick of it, and I've had it."
Trump argued Zelenskyy is a poor negotiator, noting Bessent traveled to Ukraine last week to broker a mineral agreement, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but said the pair "couldn't even come close" to a deal.
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The president said the trip was dangerous for Bessent and a waste of time.
The deal would have helped U.S. investment in the war-torn nation and also provided "the best security guarantee they could ever hope for," according to Waltz.
Fox News' Bailee Hill contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-deal-ukraine-us-access-rare-earth-minerals-pretty-close