Media: Trump's top officials hold backchannel talks with Zelenskyy Following Oval Office Dispute

Top officials from President Donald Trump's administration have held behind-the-scenes talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team following a tense encounter at the Oval Office on February 28.

The Trump officials reportedly emphasised the need to repair relations with the White House promptly and encouraged the Ukrainians to resume negotiations before the President's speech to Congress on March 4 evening, Caliber.Az reports per CNN.

Among those reaching out to Zelenskyy was Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, according to one of the sources. This outreach was swiftly followed by Zelenskyy's post on social media on March 4, in which he described the Oval Office meeting as "regrettable."

By evening of the same day a White House official confirmed to CNN that a deal concerning rare minerals with Ukraine had not yet been signed. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is directly involved in the discussions surrounding the agreement, told Fox News that there were currently no plans for its signing prior to Trump’s address.

However, the White House official insisted that the administration remains confident that talks over reviving the minerals deal were progressing in the right direction.

The President, who plans to address ongoing international conflicts in his speech, including the war between Ukraine and Russia, is eager to announce progress on the minerals deal, the official added.

By Aghakazim Guliyev