US Treasury Secretary refutes reports of plans to sign minerals deal with Ukraine

Washington: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has told a media outlet that there are no plans to sign a mineral resources deal with Ukraine following President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress.

After a heated exchange last week between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House’s Oval Office, the former has decided to mend the strained ties between the two countries.

His statement comes after earlier reports suggesting Trump intended to announce the agreement during his upcoming address.

Ukrainian President Zelensky’s February 28 visit to the White House was originally intended to finalise the long-debated agreement on jointly developing Ukraine’s mineral resources.

The meeting instead turned into a public clash, with Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance berating Zelensky. The Ukrainian President later left the White House without signing the deal.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that it was time to “make things right” and has agreed to sign the minerals deal with the US which fell through on Friday after the argument between him and the US leaders, according to sources.

However, the report was refuted by Bessent who apparently told Fox News, “There is no signing planned,” said the news outlet’s journalist Jacqui Heinrich through a post on X.

This puts the fate of the deal, which assures military aid to Ukraine in exchange of their minerals to the US, in iffy.

“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively,” President Zelensky said in a post on X.

There has been no official confirmation on the deal from the Trump administration.

However, four unnamed sources told a foreign news outlet that the two countries plan on signing the deal.

Trump had told his advisers that he wanted to announce the agreement in his address to Congress on Tuesday evening, three of the sources told a news outlet, cautioning that the deal had yet to be signed and the situation could change.

In a bid to repair relations with the US after a meeting with Donald Trump and his number two, J.D. Vance, which turned into an argument, Zelensky took to X on Tuesday and reiterated Ukraine’s commitment for peace.

After being accused of not being thankful enough for the support by the US President and Vice President in the Oval Office, Zelensky expressed that the country values “how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence”.

“And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this,” he added.

Calling the controversial exchange with the US leaders “regrettable”, Zelensky said, “It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”

The Ukrainian President said that he and his team are ready to work and cooperate with the Trump administration to bring lasting peace to their country.

He laid out a plan for what he called could be the first stage to end the war, only if Russia is willing to do the same.

“The first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately,” he said.

“Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal,” Zelensky added.

–IANS