On Friday there’s been more public, out in the open tension on display between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump once again chastised the Ukrainian leader for apparently refusing to sign the controversial rare earths deal. 

US administration officials had last week previewed that they expected it to be signed this week, which generated many anticipatory headlines, but there’s as yet nothing to show for it, and the reports proved premature.

“Ukraine, headed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The statement was issued while he was en route to Rome aboard Air Force One for the pope’s funeral. Trump emphasized, “Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY.“

“Work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. SUCCESS seems to be in the future,” Trump added.

Ukraine has been hoping that agreeing with the deal would allow it to secure more specific and lasting security guarantees in the face of the Russian threat. Washington has so far agreed that the country should be able to forcibly defend itself if Moscow violates any future peace pact.

But clearly this week’s sparring between Kiev and Washington over Crimea has helped further deal a minerals deal. The White House wants Ukraine to be ready to give up Crimea permanently, and is ready to recognize Russian sovereignty over it.

However, Zelensky reiterated to reporters on Friday, “Our position is unchanged. The constitution of Ukraine says that all the temporarily occupied territories… belong to Ukraine.”

Crimea should be the easiest concession for Zelensky to make because:
1) it’s been part of Russia for the last decade.
2) the vast majority of its population are ethnic Russians who (as western polling shows) want to be part of Russia.
3) Ukraine has no military way to retake it.… pic.twitter.com/XwQYlc7cMc

— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) April 23, 2025

To review, Ukraine says that some 5% of the world’s “critical raw materials” are in the country. They include:

…some 19m tonnes of proven reserves of graphite, which the Ukrainian Geological Survey state agency says makes the nation “one of the top five leading countries” for the supply of the mineral. Graphite is used to make batteries for electric vehicles.

Ukraine has 7% of Europe’s supplies of titanium, a lightweight metal used in the construction of everything from aeroplanes to power stations.

It is also home to a third of all European lithium deposits, the key component in current batteries.

Other elements found in Ukraine include beryllium and uranium, which are both crucial for nuclear weapons and reactors.

Deposits of copper, lead, zinc, silver, nickel, cobalt and manganese are also significant.

Trump’s impatience could also stem from the fact that a little over a week ago Ukraine signed a memorandum of intent, paving the way for an “economic partnership agreement” with the US. But apparently not much has happened since then, and the White House fears Kiev is just stalling.