PARIS, February 27. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump did not want to host Vladimir Zelensky in Washington, but changed his decision after French President Emmanuel Macron convinced him to do so, BFMTV reported.
"Zelensky was supposed to come to Washington yesterday, but someone from the Trump administration told him, 'Listen, Vladimir, there's no point in chartering a plane, don't come, all meetings have been canceled, President Trump won't receive you.' This caused panic in Kiev," BFMTV reporter Patrick Sauce said.
After that, Zelensky began calling Macron, asking him to convince Trump to reconsider, as he hoped to sign an agreement on Ukrainian minerals in Washington. Additionally, he mentioned that the visit "would have had strong symbolic significance." According to a French diplomatic source cited by the journalist, the French president then called the White House and successfully persuaded Trump to meet with Zelensky, offering his personal endorsement.
On February 26, Trump confirmed that Zelensky would arrive in Washington this Friday to sign a deal on Ukraine's minerals, among other matters. Prior to that, he had mentioned February 28 as a possible meeting date. However, on February 26, an unnamed White House official told Reuters that Washington saw no point in Zelensky's visit without the signing of the minerals deal.
Zelensky 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.