A senior White House official reportedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision not to sign a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. 

“President Zelenskyy is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told the Associated Press. 

Hughes said a minerals deal would allow American taxpayers to “recoup” some of the billions in U.S. aid sent to Kyiv during the Biden administration, while growing Ukraine’s economy. The White House believes “binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace,” the National Security Council spokesman said, adding: “The U.S. recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and the Ukrainians must recognize this.”

Hughes did not explicitly confirm the proposal, which the AP reported was a key part of Zelenskyy’s talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday. 

Zelenskyy and Vance did not discuss the details of the U.S. document during their meeting Friday at the Munich conference, the senior official said. 

That meeting was “very good” and “substantive,” with Vance making it clear his and Trump’s main goal was to achieve a durable, lasting peace, the senior official said. Zelenskyy told Vance that real peace requires Ukraine to be in a “strong position” when starting negotiations, stressing that the U.S. negotiators should come to Ukraine, and that the U.S., Ukraine and Europe must be at the negotiating table for talks with Russia.

Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, all but cut Europeans out of any Ukraine-Russia talks, despite Zelenskyy’s request.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 61st Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15, 2025, in Munich, Germany.  (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

“You can have the Ukrainians, the Russians, and clearly the Americans at the table talking,” Kellogg said at an event hosted by a Ukrainian tycoon at the Munich conference. Pressed on whether that meant Europeans won’t be included, he said: “I’m a school of realism. I think that’s not going to happen.”

Ukraine is now preparing a “counterproposal” which will be delivered to the U.S. in “the near future,” the official said.

“I think it’s important that the vice president understood me that if we want to sign something, we have to understand that it will work,” Zelenskyy told the AP.

That means, he said, “it will bring money and security.”