Trump 'confident' about striking deal to end Ukraine conflict soon: White House

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that Washington can successfully negotiate the end of the Ukraine conflict "this week," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday.

"The president, his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict, and the president is very confident we can get it done this week," Leavitt was quoted by top US political website "The Hill" as saying on the South Lawn after returning from the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Leavitt also said that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been involved in discussions about a proposed deal with the Ukrainians to harness raw minerals.

"When it comes to the critical minerals, this is an important piece for the president. It's very important for the president, because it will recoup American tax dollars," Leavitt said, according to "The Hill" report.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of Ukraine's Parliament has said that the Ukrainian government will start working in earnest from the beginning of next week to conclude an agreement on earth minerals and security assurances with the United States, according to reports from Ukraine.

Ruslan Stefanchuk, who is close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Friday that the Ukrainian government will have an expert team start from Monday working toward signing an agreement with the United States.