“I heard that Zelensky is arriving on Friday.” Trump is ready to lift sanctions against Russia and buy its minerals

U.S. President Donald Trump has no objections to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting Washington on Friday “if he wants to,” according to the White House press pool.

“I heard that Zelensky is coming on Friday,” Trump said.

Trump stated that he does not oppose the Ukrainian president’s visit, as the discussions will focus on “rare earth elements and other matters.” He assured that American taxpayers would get their money back for the aid provided to Ukraine.

The U.S. president also mentioned that he sees the need for a “certain form” of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine that would be acceptable to all sides.

Additionally, Trump expressed support for an agreement with Russia regarding access to rare earth metals.

“I would like to buy minerals from Russian land. I would like to make a deal to gain access to Russia’s rare earth metals,” Trump stated during a briefing with the White House press pool.

Trump further said that he is considering the possibility of lifting sanctions against Russia in the future, but for now, they remain in place.

It is reported that the terms of the deal, following the U.S.’s withdrawal from its strictest demand, were agreed upon the day before.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Zelensky might arrive in Washington on Friday to sign a mineral resources agreement and meet with Trump.