PULSE POINTS:
What Happened: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed President Trump’s confidence in securing a rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine, stressing its importance for both nations despite past tensions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Who’s Involved: Karoline Leavitt, President Donald J. Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and The National Pulse’s political editor Will Upton.
Where & When: White House press briefing, Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2025.
Key Quote: Leavitt stated, “Ukraine needs to sign it, they should sign it,” emphasizing the deal’s benefits for both the U.S. and Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
Impact: The anticipated deal could strengthen U.S. access to critical minerals while aiding Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts, though past diplomatic friction with Zelensky highlights challenges in finalizing the agreement.
IN FULL:
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald J. Trump is “confident” that a deal on rare earth minerals with Ukraine will be signed, adding that the Ukrainian government “needs” to sign the agreement and that it will benefit the Ukrainian people.
Responding to a question from Will Upton, The National Pulse’s political editor, on the progress of a deal between the Trump administration and the Ukrainian government on U.S. access to rare earth minerals in the Eastern European country, Leavitt said, “The President is confident that it will be signed.”
“Ukraine needs to sign it, they should sign it,” she continued, explaining the agreement is “not just good for the United States, to recoup the billions of tax dollars we’ve spent and onshore some of those critical minerals, but certainly it’s good for the Ukrainian people when this war is over to rebuild their country.”
“It’s an economic partnership between the United States and Ukraine; that’s what the President envisions, and he wants Ukraine to sign that deal, and he’s confident that they will,” she added.
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky caused friction with the Trump administration by telling Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio he was receptive to a rare earth minerals deal in private, only to brief the media that it was an unacceptable shakedown in public.
After being called out for his behavior, Zelensky visited the White House prepared to sign documents related to a rare earth mineral deal, but this was postponed after he started an argument with Vice President Vance in the Oval Office over the need for a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine war, leading to a tense exchange with President Trump.
WATCH:
Important questions from @wupton, political editor at @TheNatPulse, on the Ukraine war, the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, and Greenland at the White House: pic.twitter.com/RmSrW0VFNo
— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) April 29, 2025