Zelensky Meets Trump Envoy

The News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on February 20, 2025, seeking to mend relations after President Donald Trump accused Zelensky of rejecting a minerals deal and labeled him a “dictator.”

The meeting, held behind closed doors at Kyiv’s presidential office, focused on stalled U.S.-Ukraine negotiations over access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and security guarantees.

No joint statement or press conference followed, per a U.S. request, as tensions over Trump’s push for a deal granting the U.S. 50% ownership of Ukraine’s mineral wealth deepened divisions.

Timeline

February 12, 2025: U.S. Proposes Minerals Deal

• U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivers a draft agreement to Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv, demanding 50% of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals (valued at ~$500 billion) as repayment for military aid. The draft lacks security guarantees and includes clauses placing disputes under New York courts. Zelensky refuses to sign.

February 14, 2025: Munich Security Conference

• Zelensky discusses the minerals deal with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Talks are deemed “constructive” but yield no agreement.

February 19, 2025: Trump’s “Dictator” Remarks

• Trump calls Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and claims Ukraine “started the war” after Kyiv rejects the minerals proposal. Zelensky counters that Trump is in a Russian “disinformation space”.

February 20, 2025: Kellogg-Zelensky Meeting

• Kellogg arrives in Kyiv, meets Zelensky, and discusses battlefield updates, prisoner swaps, and revised minerals terms. The U.S. presents an updated draft removing contentious clauses (e.g., New York court jurisdiction). Zelensky calls the talks “productive” but stresses Ukraine needs “security guarantees that really work”.

Reactions

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram after the meeting: "We discussed in detail the situation on the battlefield and how to return all our POWs (prisoners of war), as well as effective security guarantees."

Emmanuel Macron: Plans to tell Trump not to “be weak with Putin” during a February 24 meeting.

What’s Next

The U.S. may push a simplified version of the agreement, deferring contentious details (e.g., revenue splits) to later negotiations. Ukraine seeks binding security commitments.

European leaders plan $21 billion in aid bypassing Hungarian opposition, aiming to counterbalance U.S. pressure.