Washington: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump at the White House during his visit to the United States. Zelensky arrived with his team, and Trump personally received him. According to American media reports, the Ukrainian delegation paid for its own travel expenses. This happened because, for the first time in the history of US-Ukraine relations, the Trump administration had refused to cover the costs of a Ukrainian visit to Washington.
Before meeting Trump, Zelensky held discussions with a group of US senators, including Lindsey Graham, Chris Coons and Amy Klobuchar. Following the meeting, Senator Klobuchar shared a photo of Zelensky on Instagram and wrote, “We had a good meeting before President Zelensky left for the White House. We stand with Ukraine.”
Likely agreement on mineral resources
During their meeting, Trump and Zelensky are expected to sign an agreement. Under this deal, Ukraine could grant partial rights to the US over its mineral resources. In return, the US would provide military assistance to Ukraine.
This meeting came at a crucial time, as the Russia-Ukraine war had been ongoing for three years. The agreement was seen as a potential step toward strengthening US-Ukraine relations and possibly influencing the course of the war.
Russia appoints new ambassador to US
While Trump and Zelensky held their discussions, another diplomatic development took place. The US approved the appointment of Alexander Darchiev as Russia’s new ambassador to Washington. Since October 2024, Russia had not had an ambassador in Washington, making this appointment an important move for US-Russia relations.
This story is being updated…
