President Donald Trump reversed his stance on Friday, admitting that Russia did invade Ukraine, while also announcing that Kyiv is expected to sign a minerals agreement with the U.S. as part of broader efforts to end the war.

Earlier in the week, Trump faced backlash after suggesting that Ukraine “should have never started” the war, a comment that drew sharp criticism both domestically and internationally. However, in a Fox News Radio interview on Friday, Trump acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” Trump stated, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and then-U.S. President Joe Biden failed to take steps to prevent the war.

Trump also announced that a minerals agreement with Ukraine is expected to be finalized soon.

“We’re signing an agreement, hopefully in the next fairly short period of time,” Trump told reporters when asked about a potential deal for Ukraine’s vast mineral resources.

Zelensky, speaking separately, confirmed that U.S. and Ukrainian officials are drafting the agreement.

“I am hoping for … a fair result,” he said in a video address, following a tense week of exchanges between the two leaders.

The shift in U.S. policy has alarmed European allies, who worry that Kyiv may be pressured into a settlement that favors Russia.

Trump previously called Zelensky a “dictator” and urged him to move quickly toward peace negotiations with Russia, or risk losing his country.

Meanwhile, Zelensky has rejected U.S. demands for Ukraine to cede $500 billion worth of mineral wealth to Washington in exchange for wartime aid, arguing that the U.S. has not provided that amount in total assistance and has failed to offer concrete security guarantees.

The ongoing negotiations between Washington and Kyiv will likely shape the future of Ukraine’s sovereignty, economy, and post-war recovery.