US President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to pull out of the minerals deal. According to Trump, Zelensky will have "big problems" if he pulls out.
"He is trying to pull out of the rare earth metals deal and if he does, he will have problems, big, big problems", Trump said, quoted by "Reuters".
"He wants to be a member of NATO (referring to Ukraine's membership - BBC), but he will never be a member of NATO. He understands that," the American leader told reporters aboard the presidential plane.
Last week, world media reported that the United States had presented Kiev with an updated draft of the agreement, which provides for almost complete US control over all of Ukraine's mineral deposits without any guarantees for Kiev's security.
Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine had received the document. Earlier, at a press conference in Paris on Thursday, he said that the terms of the mineral deal were constantly changing.
The agreement was scheduled to be signed on the day when there was a spat at the White House between Trump, Zelensky and US Vice President J.D. Vance.