After a tumultuous week of a public back-and-forth between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House shared its hope the war in Ukraine could end as early as this week.
The remarks were shared on Saturday by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said Trump is confident he can strike a deal between Russia and Ukraine. Leavitt shared her thoughts with reporters while at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“The president, his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict, and the president is very confident we can get it done this week,” Leavitt said.
Trump said last week that Zelensky had “no cards” left to play and suggested that he should not participate in conversations with international leaders working to find peace.
Zelensky fired back at Trump, claiming he was being fed misinformation, saying he lived in a “disinformation space” and that he was repeating rhetoric pushed by Russia.
Trump responded to that by calling Zelensky a “dictator.”
As for a potential end to the war, Leavitt shared that National Security Advisor Matt Waltz is working “around the clock” on the deal, as well as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is involved in discussions around a proposed deal with Ukraine to harness its raw minerals.
“When it comes to the critical minerals, this is an important piece for the president. It’s very important for the president because it will recoup American tax dollars,” Leavitt stated.
She added that “it also will be a great economic partnership between the United States of America and for the Ukrainian people as well as they rebuild their country following this brutal war.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that potential rare Earth mineral deals could result in up to $200 million in funds and add a “vested” security interest in Ukraine.
The potential mineral deals surfaced after Trump pointed to the funding given the country throughout its war, as the State Department says the U.S. has provided $65.9 billion in military assistance.