Donald Trump may seek a "streamlined" initial agreement with Ukraine on sharing the country's rare minerals wealth, Reuters has reported.
Reports of a possible simplified agreement come just days after an initial proposal fell through.
Earlier in February, Trump announced his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had "essentially agreed" to a deal on rare earth minerals worth $500 billion. Trump said the aim of the arrangement was for the U.S. to recoup some of the tens of billions of dollars it has granted Kyiv in aid.
Zelenskyy refused to sign off on a proposal he said was unfairly weighted towards U.S. interests and lacked any security guarantees for Ukraine.
"I can't sell our country," he said on Wednesday.
Trump said on Thursday, however, that he intended to "resurrect" the deal or "things are not going to make him [Zelenskyy] too happy."
Trump went on to accuse Zelenskyy of "breaking the deal," and U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz later said Ukraine should "take a hard look and sign that deal," the BBC reported.
Trump's comments came a day after he falsely described Zelenskyy as a "dictator" for not holding elections in response to Zelenskyy saying Trump was living in a "disinformation space" for seeming to suggest Ukraine had started the war.
The major spat followed bilateral talks between U.S. and Russian delegates on Tuesday aimed at paving the way for peace talks.
Earlier in February, Trump announced his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had "essentially agreed" to a deal on rare earth minerals worth $500 billion. Trump said the aim of the arrangement was for the U.S. to recoup some of the tens of billions of dollars it has granted Kyiv in aid.
Zelenskyy refused to sign off on a proposal he said was unfairly weighted towards U.S. interests and lacked any security guarantees for Ukraine.
"I can't sell our country," he said on Wednesday.
Trump said on Thursday, however, that he intended to "resurrect" the deal or "things are not going to make him [Zelenskyy] too happy."
Trump went on to accuse Zelenskyy of "breaking the deal," and U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz later said Ukraine should "take a hard look and sign that deal," the BBC reported.
'Rapacious' deal
Trump's comments came a day after he falsely described Zelenskyy as a "dictator" for not holding elections in response to Zelenskyy saying Trump was living in a "disinformation space" for seeming to suggest Ukraine had started the war.
The major spat followed bilateral talks between U.S. and Russian delegates on Tuesday aimed at paving the way for peace talks.
Trump's envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, is in Kyiv to discuss a revised minerals pact and to scope out what Kyiv would need to move forward. Zelenskyy said of his planned meeting with Kellogg that "it is crucial for us that this meeting—and overall cooperation with America—be constructive."
A joint press conference billed to take place on Thursday afternoon following the talks between Kellogg and Zelenskyy was suddenly canceled at U.S. request, according to the Office of the Ukrainian President.
A Reuters source said Ukraine is willing to strike a deal with Trump but it must be less "rapacious" than the initial proposal.
The news service cited unnamed insiders as saying a simplified deal would be followed by the specifics to be negotiated later, including the U.S.'s share of the resources. The proposal Zelenskyy rejected involved Washington taking 50 percent of Ukraine's critical minerals, which include graphite, uranium, titanium and lithium, Reuters said. Lithium is a key component in electric car batteries.
U.S. business magazine Fortune has reported that Ukraine's mineral resources could be worth an estimated $11.5 trillion.
President Zelenskyy has also said Kyiv and Washington need to agree on the fate of Ukrainian mineral deposits in territories under Russian occupation. Moscow also covets Ukraine's mineral wealth, and its forces are currently only a few kilometers from a giant lithium deposit in Donetsk.
A joint press conference billed to take place on Thursday afternoon following the talks between Kellogg and Zelenskyy was suddenly canceled at U.S. request, according to the Office of the Ukrainian President.
A Reuters source said Ukraine is willing to strike a deal with Trump but it must be less "rapacious" than the initial proposal.
The news service cited unnamed insiders as saying a simplified deal would be followed by the specifics to be negotiated later, including the U.S.'s share of the resources. The proposal Zelenskyy rejected involved Washington taking 50 percent of Ukraine's critical minerals, which include graphite, uranium, titanium and lithium, Reuters said. Lithium is a key component in electric car batteries.
U.S. business magazine Fortune has reported that Ukraine's mineral resources could be worth an estimated $11.5 trillion.
President Zelenskyy has also said Kyiv and Washington need to agree on the fate of Ukrainian mineral deposits in territories under Russian occupation. Moscow also covets Ukraine's mineral wealth, and its forces are currently only a few kilometers from a giant lithium deposit in Donetsk.
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