A formal agreement should have been sealed three weeks ago, the US president has said

Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky is "three weeks late" in signing a minerals deal with the US, President Donald Trump has said. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, he demanded the agreement be signed "immediately."

Washington and Kiev have been negotiating a deal for weeks that would grant the US access to Ukraine's natural resources, including rare-earth minerals that are vital for high-tech industries.

Ukraine hopes the deal will secure the US as a lasting security partner, a commitment that the Trump administration has so far declined to make. Washington insists the deal should compensate America for past aid in the conflict with Russia. Kiev, however, claims the assistance was provided unconditionally.

A preliminary Memorandum of Intent was signed last week, according to Ukraine's first deputy prime minister, Yulia Sviridenko. Trump, however, has complained that the process is dragging on too long.

"Ukraine, headed by Vladimir Zelensky, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late. Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY," he wrote.

The deal was expected to be signed in February during a visit by Zelensky visit to the White House. The event, however, devolved into a heated spat between the leaders, with Trump accusing Zelensky of disrespecting America and showing ingratitude for US aid, while being reluctant to seek peace with Russia and "gambling with World War III." Trump later said Zelensky was "trying to back out" of the deal, warning that he faces "big, big problems" if he does.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said White House officials were "still working on the details" of when and where the signing would take place, but expected that negotiations would be completed by April 26. The Memorandum of Intent also outlines this timeline.

In his post on Friday, Trump also commented on Ukraine peace efforts, saying "work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly" and that "success seems to be in the future." In another post, he indicated plans to meet with Russian and Ukrainian representatives on Saturday in Rome, where he is attending Pope Francis' funeral, which Zelensky also plans to attend.

"They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to finish it off. Most of the major points are agreed to," Trump wrote.

READ MORE: Zelensky contradicts Trump on deal with Russia

While the details have not been officially disclosed, the agreement proposed by Washington reportedly includes US recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a "freezing" of the conflict along the current front lines, acknowledgment of Moscow's control over large parts of the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia, and formal opposition to Ukraine's NATO bid.

(RT.com)