Head of Ukraine's President's Office insists on signing deal in Washington, Kellogg opposes – The New York Post

The conservative American newspaper The New York Post reports that Keith Kellogg, the US President's Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, was against signing the subsoil agreement during a personal meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, but Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, insisted on this format. Source: The New York Post, citing a senior US official involved in the negotiations with Ukraine Details: A senior US official told the newspaper that Kellogg pressed Zelenskyy to sign a mining rights agreement with the US during the envoy's visit to Kyiv last week, but Yermak insisted on doing it in the Oval Office on Friday.

After three days of rigorous negotiations, Kellogg reached an agreement with Ukraine.

"Kellogg and Zelensky had agreed to a deal with one item still to be finalised," a US official said about the talks, which ended on 21 February. The newspaper writes that after the talks, Andrii Yermak, Head of Ukraine's President's Administration, insisted that the Ukrainian president come to Trump's 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 the face-to-face meeting.

However, a source familiar with Yermak's tactics said that Zelenskyy's office "continued to force the issue". Kellogg was ready to leave, almost leaving Ukraine without a deal to present to Trump, the newspaper writes. However, Zelenskyy's office "reversed course" at the last minute and sent the documents to the train that Kellogg was taking back home.

The newspaper writes that even after that, Kyiv promoted the plan to conclude a 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 visit to the White House.

An American official said 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 choice 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, and he maintains frequent contact with its owner Murdoch. At the same time, on 21 February 2025, The New York 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 J.D.

Vance.
The minerals deal between the US and Ukraine broke down.
Trump said the Ukrainian president had "disrespected" the United States and that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was "not ready for peace".
Zelenskyy noted that the quarrel in the White House was not good for either side, but explained why he had actively engaged in the altercation.
Media reports that the Trump administration is considering suspending all current military aid to Ukraine in response to President Zelenskyy's remarks in the Oval Office.

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