US and Ukraine prepare to sign embattled minerals deal today — sources

The United States and Ukraine plan to sign the much-debated minerals deal following a disastrous Oval Office meeting Friday in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was dismissed from the building, four people familiar with the situation say.

US President Donald Trump has told his advisers that he wants to announce the agreement in his State of the Union address to Congress tonight, three of the sources say, cautioning that the deal has yet to be signed and the situation could change.

The White House does not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ukraine’s presidential administration in Kyiv and the Ukrainian embassy in Washington do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The deal was put on hold on Friday after the shocking Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelensky that resulted in the Ukrainian leader’s swift departure from the White House. Zelensky had traveled to Washington to sign the deal.

In that meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky, telling him he should thank the US for its support rather than asking for additional aid in front of the US media.

“You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump said.

US officials have in recent days spoken to officials in Kyiv about signing the minerals deal despite Friday’s blowup, and urged Zelensky’s advisers to convince the Ukrainian president to apologize openly to Trump, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.

Earlier today, Zelensky posted on X that Ukraine was ready to sign the deal and called the Oval Office meeting “regrettable.”