Talks between the US and Ukraine to sign a deal on rare earth minerals appeared to have collapsed after a testy exchange. President Donald Trump and Vice-President J D Vance on one side and President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other. The two sides were expected to sign an agreement giving the US rights to Ukraine’s reserves of rareearth minerals and other natural resources in return for its contributions to Kyiv’s war efforts against Russia. There was no information if the deal was signed after a joint news conference the two leaders expected to address had been cancelled as was the lunch that the Americans were hosting for the Ukrainian delegation. The exchange started with President Trump telling reporters President Zelenski harbours a kind of \”hatred\” for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that makes it tough for him to get a deal. It wasn’t clear if he was trying to repair the damage with his country’s largest benefactor by way of contributions to the war effort or he was merely standing his ground, restating that he wants a just and lasting peace.
