Head of Ukrainian President’s Office insisted on signing deal in Washington, Kellogg was opposed – The New York Post
Pravda Ukraine
The conservative American newspaper The New York Post has reported that Keith Kellogg, the US President’s Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, was opposed to the minerals agreement being signed during a face-to-face meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, but Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, insisted that it should be done this way.
Source: The New York Post, citing a senior US official involved in the negotiations with Ukraine
Details: The senior US official told the newspaper that Kellogg had pressed Zelenskyy to sign the mining rights agreement with the US during the envoy’s visit to Kyiv last week, but Yermak insisted that the agreement should be signed in the Oval Office on Friday.
After three days of intense negotiations, Kellogg secured the long-awaited agreement with Ukraine.
“Kellogg and Zelenskyy had agreed to a deal with one item still to be finalised,” a US official said of the talks, which ended on 21 February.
According to The Post, after the talks Andrii Yermak, Head of the President’s Office, insisted that Zelenskyy should visit Trump at the White House to sign the agreement.
The official says Kellogg “advised against it, knowing that the relationship [between the presidents] needed to be strengthened” before they met face to face.
However, a source familiar with Yermak’s tactics said Zelenskyy’s office “continued to force the issue”.
Kellogg was ready to walk out, nearly leaving Ukraine without a deal to present to Trump, The Post says. However, Zelenskyy’s office “reversed course” at the last minute and sent the documents to the train that Kellogg was taking to return home.
Even after that, The Post says, Kyiv continued to push the plan to conclude the deal in Washington.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he had been invited to the White House, “but it was unclear whether he was referring to a standing offer or if an invite had been issued specifically to sign the agreement”.
This week, several Ukrainian sources told The Post of their suspicions that Zelenskyy’s team had forced the White House visit.
The US official said that during his meeting with Trump, “Zelenskyy played it as wrong as he could play it”.
“He came into the Oval acting like a tough guy. It didn’t play well. Everyone in the room felt insulted. Now Zelenskyy will have to figure out how to fix this on his own. We can’t fix it for him,” the source said.
He also criticised Zelenskyy’s decision not to wear a suit to the White House meeting.
Reference: In 2017, it was reported that The New York Post is Donald Trump’s favourite newspaper. Trump maintains frequent contact with its owner, Rupert Murdoch.
At the same time, on 21 February 2025, The Post published an editorial explaining that the real dictator is Russia’s ruler, Vladimir Putin.
Background:
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White House early on Friday after a spat with Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
- The minerals deal between the US and Ukraine broke down.
- Trump said the Ukrainian president had “disrespected” the United States and that Zelenskyy was “not ready for peace”.
- Zelenskyy said the row in the White House was not good for either side, but explained why he had actively engaged in the argument.
- Media reports have suggested that the Trump administration is considering ending all current military aid to Ukraine in response to President Zelenskyy’s remarks in the Oval Office.
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