Trump advisor tells Kyiv to ʼpipe downʼ and sign minerals deal

The US Presidentʼs National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said that Kyiv needs to "pipe down" and sign an agreement on minerals that Washington wants to receive as compensation for the military assistance provided.

He said this on the American TV channel Fox News.

According to him, the US White House is disappointed that Ukraine did not sign an agreement that "provides a unique historic opportunity to have the US as a co-investor" in the Ukrainian economy, resources, and also as a partner.

Waltz added that Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were also unhappy with the lack of Ukrainian signature on the agreement proposed by the United States.

At the same time, the national security adviser noted that the United States now plans to change the "nature of our assistance" and bring the war to an end.

The US wants Ukrainian minerals

The US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent brought a pilot draft of a minerals agreement to Ukraine on February 12. Washington had hoped that Kyiv would sign it immediately. President Zelensky said that he had banned the agreement from being signed because it was not ready to protect Ukraine’s interests — it had no connection to investments, profits, or security guarantees.

Previously, Trump had stated that Ukraine had "essentially agreed" to transfer half a trillion dollars worth of rare earth metals to Washington as payment for American military aid.

Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement on rare earth metals, but Kyiv needs security guarantees, which were not there. Zelensky added: "The document was clear in only one thing — we must give 50% of everything that is listed there."

Whatʼs going on between Trump and Zelensky?

The US President Donald Trump, after the American and Russian delegations held their first talks in Saudi Arabia without the participation of Ukrainians and Europeans, claimed that Zelensky had only a 4% approval rating. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published a study showing that as of the first half of February 2025, 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky.

The President of Ukraine reacted and said that Trump is in a "circle of disinformation".

Donald Trump later called Zelensky an “unelected dictator” who allegedly persuaded the United States to “spend $350 billion on a war that cannot be won and should never have been started”. Trump said that “Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is ruined” and that he has little time left.

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