Ukraine and the United States are approaching a deal regarding Ukraine's rare earth minerals, but President Volodymyr Zelensky remains committed to security guarantees. His administration delayed the initial push to sign the agreement,

Zelensky said giving the U.S. profits from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as compensation for its wartime assistance to Kyiv has been taken off the table, but he indicated a more equitable deal was in the works.

After Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” and began talks with Russia, even some of Zelensky’s harshest domestic critics have begun defending him.