Zelensky Arrives at White House for Talks with Trump on Ukraine War & Minerals Deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Donald Trump at the White House to discuss Ukraine’s war efforts and finalize a minerals deal with the U.S. Read more on the high-level discussions.

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are convening at the White House to deliberate on strategies for concluding the conflict in Ukraine.

They are anticipated to negotiate, and possibly finalize, an agreement that would grant the US access to Ukraine’s rare minerals. However, Zelensky insists on including security guarantees.

The duo is anticipated to make a brief statement to the media in the Oval Office before proceeding with their meeting and holding a news conference later.

The discussions follow a week after Zelensky remarked that Trump was “living in a disinformation space” fabricated by Russia, while the US president labeled his Ukrainian counterpart as a “dictator.”

The initial images from the meeting between Trump and Zelensky are beginning to emerge.

The pair sit in the center of the Oval Office, surrounded by a cluster of officials, camera crews, and reporters.

We’ll provide updates on their discussion as soon as possible. Meanwhile, here’s a glimpse of the action:

We currently lack a live update on the locations of Trump and Zelensky, but they are likely seated in the Oval Office with their respective teams by now.

They are anticipated to begin by answering questions from a select group of reporters permitted into the room.

We are unable to stream this event live, but we will provide footage after it concludes along with text updates highlighting the key points.

The doors will close for private discussions, after which we won’t hear from either leader until 13:00 EST (18:00 GMT) when they hold the routine joint press conference.

As previously reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently arrived at the White House.

Several dozen reporters, including photographers who were precariously perched on ladders, gathered to witness his arrival.

Donald Trump was present to greet him, but from where I stood, I couldn’t hear exactly what he said. We should find out soon.

Reporters were loudly hurling questions toward him, with the most prominent being: “What benefit does Ukraine gain from this?”

Trump avoids addressing the Putin question as leaders proceed to the Oval Office.

As the two leaders were about to enter the West Wing, the U.S. President seemed to mention to reporters that “he’s all dressed up,” referring to Zelensky.

When asked about his message for Vladimir Putin, Trump chooses not to respond. Instead, he raises a fist and then escorts Zelensky indoors.

Reporters call out, “What benefits does Ukraine gain from this situation?”

As previously reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently arrived at the White House.

Several dozen reporters, along with photographers who were precariously perched on ladders, gathered to witness his arrival.

Donald Trump was present to welcome him, but from where I stood, I couldn’t hear exactly what he said. We should find out soon.

Reporters were loudly directing questions towards him, with the most prominent being: “What does Ukraine gain from all of this?”

Everything begins with a handshake.

This is the third time leaders have visited the White House this week, so we’re beginning to master the routine.

As is now customary, Trump and Zelensky exchange a handshake while smiling towards the cluster of press cameras positioned outside the West Wing.

It’s a shorter handshake than the one exchanged with Macron and Starmer earlier this week.

The pair then proceed indoors together, making their way to the Oval Office where we anticipate they will soon commence discussions.

US-Russia discussions offer ‘hope’: Highlights from Putin’s speech yesterday

As we noted yesterday, delegates from Russia and the US convened in Istanbul for what is thought to be the initial meeting in a series designed to improve relations between the two nations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed that the discussions made him hopeful about finding solutions to issues like the conflict in Ukraine.

“The initial interactions with the new US administration are encouraging. Both sides share a mutual desire to work on restoring relations,” Putin stated during a televised speech at a Federal Security Service meeting on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the Russian leader expressed willingness to provide the US with access to rare minerals, including sources in regions of Ukraine under Russian control.

BBC