The French media outlet BFMTV, citing unnamed French diplomatic sources, reported that Washington had decided on Wednesday to call off Friday’s visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The information went as far as to say the US administration had actually sent a message telling him not to come.
The report said that on being informed, Zelensky called France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who in turn contacted US President Donald Trump, asking him to receive his Ukrainian colleague – and that he would vouch for him.
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It seemed to work, as later that day Trump announced that he would host a meeting with Zelensky in the White House on Friday as originally planned.
The meeting is expected to see the signing by the two leaders of a framework agreement on the exploitation of Ukrainian minerals.
Germany’s BILD reported on Thursday that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had confirmed that both sides have prepared a final version of the agreement on mineral resources which has been approved by Kyiv’s government.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy said during a press briefing on Thursday, that Trump and Zelensky’s teams will “… discuss further support and what next steps and documents will be a continuation of this framework agreement, because the parties agreed on this text, and what will happen next – specific agreements on the creation of the fund itself, agreements on security will follow this framework agreement. I think this is what the delegation will focus on tomorrow [Friday].”
Trump to Extend Russia Sanctions for 1 Year
As peace talks in Ukraine gather pace, Trump continued to warn on Wednesday that Kyiv could “forget” about joining the NATO defensive alliance and that it was up to Europe to provide future security guarantees to Ukraine. Trump had previously called Zelensky an “unelected dictator,” blaming him for starting and failing to stop the war sooner, claims that echo Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s narrative.
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