Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump at the White House today, as both leaders discussed a minerals deal for the United States as part of the ongoing negotiations of a possible truce in the years-long war in Ukraine.

The meeting comes amid heightened tensions after President Trump called the Ukrainian President a “dictator” and blamed him for starting the war with Russia. He however, took back his words a day before the meeting and commended him for his bravery.

The agenda of today’s meeting primarily focuses on a minerals deal for the United States in return for Washington’s assurance of providing Kyiv with the security it needs against Russia. The deal is important as it forms the foundation of future talks on finding a peace deal for the war in Ukraine, which has now been on for more than three years.

The US, which shares the maximum burden among all NATO allies to provide a security cover across Europe, has been calling for all stakeholders to significantly enhance their share of the burden. Donald Trump has threatened that he will even consider withdrawing from providing security to Europe should everyone not contribute.

President Trump also does not see any benefit for Washington is staying involved in Ukraine since “Europe has a guarantee on what it has spent on Ukraine, but the US does not”. Amid all this, European leaders, with President Zelensky’s willingness, suggested that Ukraine do a minerals deal with Washington, so that US also has a way of getting back what it is spending in Ukraine. They also believe that this will keep the US invested in Ukraine, automatically providing for Kyiv’s security.