From Oval Office blowout to landmark minerals deal, how Ukraine's diplomacy unfolded

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Last fall, weeks earlier Donald Trump was elected U.S. president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy floated a transportation that proposed, among different things, an economical woody that would let Washington entree to Ukraine’s mostly untapped minerals and deepen strategical ties.

Under unit from Western allies and amid planetary warfare fatigue, Zelenskyy saw that the days of Biden administration-era robust subject aid mightiness beryllium numbered, and truthful the transportation was portion of the Ukrainian leader’s alleged triumph program to extremity the Russia-Ukraine war. It was an connection that would entreaty to Trump’s penchant for transactions-based diplomacy successful hopes of ensuring a dependable travel of aboriginal American enactment successful return.

Seven months later, a landmark deal betwixt Ukraine and the Trump medication connected Ukraine’s mineral resources was inked. But the roadworthy successful betwixt was paved with communal recriminations, a historical Oval Office blowout, “hundreds” of revisions, and finally, a accidental gathering on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.

Last infinitesimal snags threatened to undermine the signing of the agreement, but successful the extremity Ukraine secured a woody that, erstwhile acceptable successful motion, brings person ties with the U.S. and a provides a conveyance for aboriginal subject assistance. Ukraine’s parliament is expected to walk the statement connected Thursday, and different documents pertaining to the woody are being finalized.

“It seems to maine that this is the archetypal clip successful past that the United States considers Ukraine arsenic a semipermanent strategical partner, economically,” Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said astatine a media briefing successful Kyiv connected Thursday, hours earlier the parliament vote.

Here’s a timeline of the deal’s conception and signing:

September: Zelenskyy makes a pitch

In effect to rising unit from Western allies and wide battlefield disadvantages, Zelenskyy outlines a alleged victory plan to extremity the war. The program sought to fortify Kyiv’s negotiating manus and projected measures to boost its subject potential, but besides economical partnerships with Western allies.

Ukraine is affluent successful earthy resources, including critically important metals specified arsenic uranium, titanium, lithium, and graphite.

Zelenskyy pitches the program to the White House during a sojourn to Washington successful precocious September, and aboriginal successful a gathering with Trump astatine Trump Tower successful New York.

Giving American companies preferential entree to Ukraine would service arsenic leverage against Russia arsenic astir mineral deposits are located precise adjacent to front-line areas. Having U.S. companies connected the ground, the reasoning goes, would cement Washington's interests successful Ukraine and service arsenic a de facto information guarantee. Critical minerals utilized to manufacture weapons, aviation and batteries would besides springiness the U.S. entree to reserves successful a planetary marketplace dominated by China.

Trump appears captivated by the thought and precise soon aft his inauguration successful January starts touting the thought of getting Ukraine’s uncommon world elemnts.

February: An Oval Office shouting match

By February, the White House and Ukraine look to person made significant progress toward reaching an statement that would supply the U.S. with entree to Ukraine’s uncommon world minerals.

On Feb. 12, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrives successful Kyiv, becoming the archetypal elder Trump medication authoritative to sojourn and expecting Zelenskyy to motion the woody that time amid a push by Washington rapidly extremity the war. But the Ukrainian president declines, saying elements of the draught didn't align with his country’s constitution. The woody would person fixed the U.S. 50% rights to Ukraine’s minerals and mentioned thing of information guarantees.

“I didn’t fto the ministers motion … due to the fact that successful my presumption it is not acceptable to support us, our interest,” Zelenskyy told The Associated Press astatine the Munich Security Conference successful February.

Bessent aboriginal said successful an interrogation with Tucker Carlson that Zelenskyy “blew up” the deal.

Zelenskyy changeable back, saying Bessent’s attack had been disrespectful.

“My colleagues cognize that if idiosyncratic taps their digit connected an statement and says, ‘You indispensable motion now’ — I could lone accidental to him, ‘Stop tapping your digit and let’s person a due conversation,'” Zelenskyy aboriginal said successful recounting the gathering successful April to reporters successful Kyiv.

The 2 sides agreed to a caller draught aboriginal successful February.

And connected Feb. 28, Zelenskyy arrived successful Washington with the volition of signing the revised mentation of the deal. But Zelenskyy insists connected adding explicit U.S. information guarantees to the deal, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn’t beryllium trusted to comply with a ceasefire deal. A shouting match breaks retired successful the Oval Office, and Trump berates the Ukrainian president for not demonstrating gratitude for American support.

“You’re not successful a bully position. You don’t person the cards close now. With us, you commencement having cards,” Trump shouted.

Zelenskyy leaves the White House with nary woody and a profoundly uncertain aboriginal with Washington. Shortly after, the U.S. pauses military assistance and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.

March: A crisp displacement successful Jeddah

According to aggregate Ukrainian and Western officials, results from ceasefire talks betwixt Ukrainian and U.S. delegates successful Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, connected March 11 marked a turning constituent aft the disastrous Oval Office meeting.

Ukraine agrees to a U.S. connection for a afloat and contiguous 30-day ceasefire, pending support by the Kremlin, which had truthful acold opposed thing abbreviated of a imperishable extremity to the struggle without accepting immoderate concessions. By piling conditions connected some proposals for some afloat and partial ceasefires, Putin began investigating Trump’s patience.

Meanwhile, method discussions implicit the minerals woody resume. But the Trump medication introduces a caller clause demanding that Ukraine reimburse the afloat magnitude of U.S. assistance provided since the commencement of the full-scale invasion. Trump mentions a $500 cardinal fig arsenic compensation, an magnitude galore times much than the sum of assistance provided.

Ukrainian officials proceed lobbying for a much equitable operation that respects Ukraine’s strategical interests and authorities sovereignty. Zelenskyy spells retired 3 halfway principles: The instauration of a associated concern fund, 50-50 governance and the exclusion of indebtedness repayment.

April: A breakthrough moment

Intensive negotiations continue, requiring Ukrainian and U.S. officials to enactment crossed clip zones. Each time ushers successful proposals and counterproposals.

“There were apt hundreds of revisions and dozens of draught revisions,” a elder European authoritative adjacent to the talks said. “Every greeting meant a caller batch of edits for each side.”

Svyrydenko said connected April 18 that the 2 countries signed a memorandum of intent earlier a imaginable fuller statement later. A draft, dated April 17 and obtained by The Associated Press, called for creating a associated U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, incorporated arsenic a concern successful Delaware.

The draught papers was a mentation marked up by the United States and showed that the Trump medication could beryllium consenting to cede connected immoderate demands that Ukraine opposed.

The draught was notable due to the fact that it called for the U.S. to marque a important archetypal currency concern successful the fund, successful summation to receiving recognition successful the signifier of equity that is equivalent to the billions successful U.S. subject assistance already spent. Earlier versions had the U.S. investing nary further superior successful Ukraine portion having exclusive rights to the country’s earthy resources.

Then, a breakthrough moment came connected April 26 successful the signifier of a tete-a-tete betwixt Trump and Zelenskyy successful St. Peter’s Basilica astatine the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral. Zelenskyy described it arsenic a turning constituent and “the champion conversation” the 2 leaders person had to date.

The speech paved the mode for the signing of the minerals woody successful Washington 4 days later, helium said.

In the end, Zelenskyy didn't get explicit information guarantees arsenic portion of the deal. Still, the last statement was considered a triumph for Ukraine aft months of diplomatic work.

The signed woody crucially doesn't telephone for Kyiv to reimburse the U.S. for the assistance it has already received — a concession from Trump. That concession was

That concession was extracted aft Ukrainians argued that recognizing past assistance arsenic indebtedness retrospectively would spell against agreements that Ukraine has made to get that assistance with the U.S., European Union, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka said. Instead, Ukrainians argued for aboriginal subject assistance to number arsenic portion of concern into the fund.

Bessent acknowledged that the statement was a “tacit information warrant due to the fact that of the economical partnership.”

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Illia Novikov successful Kyiv, and Matthew Lee and Byron Tau successful Washington, contributed to this report.