NEW YORK, March 10. /TASS/. The United States hopes to sign the agreement with Ukraine on the development of its natural resources later this week, US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff said.

"I would certainly hope so," he told Fox News when asked if the signing of the aforementioned agreement could be possible at the upcoming meeting of US and Ukrainian representatives in Jeddah on March 11. "I’m certainly hopeful for that," he later repeated.

"Part of mediation like this is to move the two sides closer to narrow the differences. We’ve gone a long way to do that with the Russians, and I am really hopeful. All the signs are very, very positive - from [Vladimir] Zelensky, from his next in command, [his office head Andrey] Yermak, from the Europeans," US President Donald Trump’s special envoy emphasized.

On February 28, Zelensky visited the White House for a meeting with Trump. When answering questions from the media ahead of negotiations, Trump and Zelensky engaged in a heated exchange, during which Trump pointed out Zelensky’s disrespectful attitude toward the United States, while US Vice President JD Vance stressed Zelensky’s ingratitude to Washington for the support provided to Kiev. The press conference following their meeting was canceled, and the signing of the US-Ukraine mineral deal did not take place. Trump later posted a statement on Truth Social saying that Zelensky was disrespectful and not ready for the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

On March 3, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Zelensky’s remark about the conflict being far from over was "the worst statement that could have been made." He added that "America will not put up with it for much longer." Later that day, Trump said, clearly referring to Zelensky, that if someone does not want peace in Ukraine, that person "will not stay here for long." He also expressed confidence in Russia’s desire to resolve the conflict. The White House then announced that Washington had suspended military aid to Kiev.