U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said on Feb. 21 that President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. "in the very short term," the Guardian reported.
"President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term," Waltz said at the Conservative Political Action Conference. "And that is good for Ukraine. What better could you have for Ukraine than to be in an economic partnership with the United States?"
Waltz also predicted that U.S. President Donald Trump would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.
His comments follow reports that the Trump administration has presented Kyiv with a revised version of a minerals agreement after Zelensky rejected an initial proposal.
Axios reported on Feb. 20 that U.S. officials made changes to align the deal with Ukrainian law, while some of Zelensky's aides have encouraged him to sign it to avoid further tension with Washington.
Following his meeting with Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, on Feb. 21, Zelensky signaled Kyiv's openness to a "strong, beneficial agreement" with the U.S. on investments and security.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
The initial U.S. proposal reportedly sought a 50% stake in Ukraine's natural resources, including critical minerals, oil, and gas, as well as stakes in ports and other key infrastructure through a joint investment fund.
The document was delivered to Zelensky during U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's visit to Kyiv last week. Ukraine's leader previously said Kyiv was not ready to sign the document as it lacked concrete security guarantees.
The issue has become a key sticking point in U.S.-Ukraine relations, as Trump has linked future aid to trade deals with Ukraine.
Trump has made multiple controversial statements about Ukraine in recent days, including calling Zelensky a "dictator" and falsely claiming that he refuses to hold elections.
His remarks ignore the fact that Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance also criticized Zelensky on Feb. 19, calling his remarks about Trump "counterproductive" after the Ukrainian president dismissed Trump's claim that his support among Ukrainians had fallen to 4%, labeling it Russian disinformation.
A Feb. 19 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, a five-point increase since December.
Kateryna Denisova
