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 White House and was subsequently booted out of the West Wing.
“Zelensky played it as wrong as he could play it,” the senior US official said. “He came into the Oval acting like a tough guy. It didn’t play well. Everyone in the room felt insulted.
“Now Zelensky will have to figure out how to fix this on his own. We can’t fix it for him.”
Zelensky claimed during a press conference Wednesday that he had been invited to the White House, but it was unclear whether he was referring to a standing offer or if an invite had been issued specifically to sign the agreement.
Multiple Ukrainian sources told The Post this week they suspected the Zelensky team forced the White House visit.
It did not help that the Ukrainian president appeared for the critical meeting dressed down in casual pants and a black, long-sleeved shirt rather than opting for a suit.
While former President Joe Biden may have tolerated the wartime dress code, it should have been abundantly clear to the Ukrainian that Trump would have better appreciated more formal attire, insiders said.
“Wearing a suit may sound like a small thing, and I know [President Zelensky] prefers his military style, but it was the wrong choice,” the US official said.
Zelensky’s cabinet of ministers ratified the mineral agreement in Kyiv on Thursday, Ukrainian parliamentary sources said.
The only thing left to do was for Zelensky to sign the document, which never took place after the dramatic display before the world’s press in the Oval Office.
The verbal volleys left Kyiv reeling Friday night, with Ukrainians who spoke to The Post disagreeing over which country’s president was more at fault.
The paradox facing Zelensky is that while many Ukrainians rallied behind him after some of Trump’s earlier affronts — such as dubbing him a “dictator” last week — they also understand they need the US as a partner to defeat Moscow’s invasion once and for all.
