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Trump: US to sign Ukraine mineral deal soon; peace efforts going "pretty nicely"

Donald Trump, President of the United States, said that the United States would sign a mineral and natural resource deal with Ukraine soon and that his efforts in achieving a peace agreement for the country are going "pretty good" following his discussions this week with Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

Trump made these comments during a White House reception after signing an executive order to increase U.S. mineral production.

"We are doing well in regard to Ukraine and Russia." We are signing a rare earths deal with Ukraine very soon.

Trump spoke of his recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, aimed at ending war in Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Trump said, "We'd love to see it end and I think we are doing pretty well on that front."

"I hope we can save thousands of lives a week." It's about saving lives. "They're dying unnecessarily and I'm confident we'll do it."

The U.S. and Ukraine announced this month that they agreed to sign a comprehensive agreement as soon as possible for the development of Ukraine's vital mineral resources. Trump views the agreement as a way to repay the United States for their assistance to Kyiv.

The efforts to seal the deal failed after the disastrous White House meeting that took place between Trump and Zelenskiy towards the end of the last month.

Trump and Zelenskiy decided on Wednesday to collaborate to end Russia's conflict with Ukraine. This was their first phone conversation since the Oval Office screaming match which resulted in a temporary cut-off of U.S. intelligence and military assistance to Kyiv.

Senior U.S. officials stated that the version of the mineral deal Trump was referring to is "more detailed and thorough."

The embassy of Ukraine in Washington has not responded to a comment request immediately.

Putin and I spoke Tuesday

Both leaders wanted to improve the damaged U.S./Russian relations.

On Thursday in Brussels, European Union leaders stated that they would continue to provide support to Ukraine. However, they did not immediately back Zelenskiy's call to approve an artillery purchase package worth at least 5 billion euro. (Reporting and editing by Don Durfee, Cynthia Osterman and Jarrett Renshaw)

(source: Reuters)