Top Zelensky adviser pushed for Oval Office mineral deal signing against Trump envoy Kelloggs advice

KYIV — President Trump’s special envoy to the Ukraine War urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign the now-deferred mineral rights deal with Washington during the envoy’s visit to Kyiv last week, but Zelensky’s chief of staff insisted on the Friday Oval Office signing that went badly awry, a senior US official involved with the talks told The Post.After three days of intense negotiations, retired Gen.Keith Kellogg secured the long-sought agreement with Ukraine that would have provided Washington with 50% of all future proceeds from the European country’s lucrative critical and rare-earth minerals.“Kellogg and Zelensky had agreed to a deal with one item still to be finalized,” the US official said of the talks that concluded Feb.

21.As negotiations wrapped up, Zelensky chief of staff Andrii Yermak pushed for the Ukrainian president to join Trump at the White House to sign the agreement.Kellogg “advised against it, knowing that the relationship [between the presidents] needed to be strengthened” before meeting in-person, according to the official.However, a source familiar with Yermak’s tactics said Zelensky’s office “continued to force the issue.”Kellogg was ready to walk away, nearly leaving Ukraine without a deal to present Trump.

However, Zelensky’s office reversed course at the last minute after the retired general boarded his train to Poland, apparently recognizing Kellogg was their best shot at mending frayed relations with the US president.Impressed by Kellogg’s straightforward negotiations and displays of respect throughout — including a visit with wounded Ukrainian troops in a military hospital northwest of Kyiv — Zelensky’s office rushed documents to the train that Kellogg could take back to Trump.Even after the close call, Kyiv pushed forward with the plan to seal the deal in Washington — a gamble that backfired Friday when Zelensky got into a heated exchange with Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the ...