Zelensky said Sunday that Trump should meet with him before meeting with Putin — who seeks control over the entire Ukrainian land mass.
The Trump administration has been in the process of trying to strike a deal with Ukraine for access to hundreds of billions of dollars in mineral rights there to help pay for US military aid.
Retired Gen. Keith Kellogg — one of a handful of Trump officials who remains supportive of Zelensky — visited Ukraine recently to try to iron out the details of the agreement.
But Kellogg returned from Kyiv after meeting with Zelensky, who he praised publicly as “courageous,” without confirming whether a deal had been secured.