Washington expects to sign an agreement with Kiev next week on the use of mineral resources. This was stated by the US President's special envoy for the Middle East, Stephen Witkoff, on CNN.
“This agreement is largely about returning everything that we have done for the Ukrainian people. President Donald Trump sees things that way. I expect the deal to be signed within the week“, he said.
“We provide most of the aid to Ukraine, that is, we finance it and have financed it without any arrangements for reimbursement of the funds spent. The Europeans, who are the ones who are most affected by this war, are funding a smaller portion of the aid, and they had agreements to repay the aid. Our president said to himself, “I don't see the point in this. Why should American taxpayers fund most of the aid and get nothing in return?”, added the US leader's special envoy.
He noted that a week ago Volodymyr Zelensky had “hesitated his commitment“ to this agreement, but Trump “sent him a message“ and Zelensky was no longer wavering. “He understands that we have done so much and that the agreement needs to be signed,“ said Witkoff.
Trump said on Saturday that progress was being made on the minerals deal with Ukraine. He also expressed confidence that Washington will be able to return the funds previously spent on aid to Ukraine.
Witkoff sees the possibility of progress in resolving the Ukrainian conflict in the near future.
“Our talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia were positive, constructive and definitely gave momentum. I would say that the president and I are optimistic and I think we can make some progress quite soon“, he said.
According to the special envoy, progress in Ukraine has largely been possible thanks to Trump coming to power. He pointed to the release of American Mark Fogel, who was convicted in Russia, as another important factor in the settlement process. “I appreciate that Putin was very flexible, he let him go home. "I think that was a big signal to President Trump that Putin wants a deal," Witkoff said.
The United States hopes that American businesses will be able to return to Russia if agreements are reached on Ukraine, Witkoff said.
"We did not discuss the issue of lifting sanctions on Russia at the Saudi Arabia meeting. But I think there is clearly an expectation that if we reach a peace agreement, then American companies will be able to come back and do business there. I think everyone believes that would be a positive and good development after the war is over," he stressed.