The United States expect substantial progress in negotiations with Ukraine this week and expect critical mineral agreement to be signed, President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East said Steve Witkoff on Monday.
US negotiators will meet with the Ukrainians this week in Saudi Arabia.
“I think we are going there with the expectation that we will make substantial progress,” Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News.
Asked if he thought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would return to the US to sign a mineral deal this week, Witkoff said: “I’m really hopeful. All signs are very, very positive. ”
Witkoff said that among the important table items will be security protocols for Ukrainians and territorial issues.
Intelligence sharing will also be discussed at this week’s meetings, Witkoff told Fox News shortly before leaving for the Middle East for conversations about Gaza. However, he said, the US never closed intelligence for anything defensive that Ukrainians needed.
