President Donald Trump on Monday said the Ukraine minerals deal is not dead following his argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Is the Ukraine minerals deal now dead or can it be revived?" a reporter asked Trump during an unrelated news conference.
"Well, I’ll let you know," Trump started. "We’re making a speech — you probably heard about it — tomorrow night, so I’ll let you know tomorrow night."
"But no, I don’t think so," Trump finally said. "I think — look, it's a great deal for us."
Trump previewed that he would likely address the deal in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.
Trump's thinking on the minerals deal — which would be a stepping stone between the U.S. and Ukraine toward a peace deal with Russia — contrasts with what some in his administration speculated over the weekend. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News on Sunday that the deal was not on the table after Zelenskyy "chose to blow that up."
Zelenskyy was set to sign the minerals deal on Friday until a meeting in the Oval Office with Trump and Vice President JD Vance devolved into an argument. The blow-up resulted in Zelenskyy being asked to leave the White House, and deal was left without his signature.
"We need rare earths," Trump said about the deal Monday. "And the deal we have is, we have the finest rare earths."
