WASHINGTON, February 26. /TASS/. The United States will try to raise the issue of returning some lost territories to Ukraine but it will be difficult to accomplish, US President Donald Trump said during the first meeting of the cabinet.
He vowed to do the most to ensure the best deal both for Ukraine and Russia. On the eve of Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the US, Trump assured that Washington will exert every effort for Ukraine to get back as much land as possible.
On February 25, Trump said that Zelensky could come to Washington on February 28 to sign the minerals deal. The US leader indicated in early February that the United States sought access to Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals. On February 12, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent delivered the agreement on natural resources to Zelensky. Despite Zelensky expressing willingness to sign the deal, he failed to do so during his meeting with Bessent, nor later when he met with US Vice President JD Vance in Munich.
Zelensky claimed that the draft presented to him lacked security guarantees. However, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz declared on February 21 that Zelensky would sign the agreement with the US soon. Subsequently, sources within Zelensky’s office informed Ukrainian media that the document still required finalization, and Zelensky himself announced at a press conference on February 23 that he "does not want" to sign the agreement with the US because, in his view, future generations of Ukrainians would bear the financial burden.