President Trump will host Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday to finalize a deal granting the United States rare mineral rights, despite the ongoing efforts of the new American administration to strike a separate agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Although Mr. Trump has met with several world leaders since taking office again, the upcoming meeting with Mr. Zelensky stands out as particularly significant. Just last week, Mr. Trump inaccurately claimed that Ukraine had initiated the war with Russia and referred to Mr. Zelensky as a “dictator without elections.”

However, it was Russia that initiated the conflict in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. Although Ukrainian elections have been suspended for the past three years due to martial law, Mr. Zelensky became president after winning a decisive election in 2019. Conversely, Russia’s President Vladimir V. Putin is an actual dictator whose elections have been widely considered fraudulent and who is facing an international warrant for war crimes.

In an effort to bridge the divide before their meeting, Mr. Trump downplayed his previous statement regarding Mr. Zelensky being a dictator but did not address the possibility of providing an apology.

Responding to a question about his view of Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Trump dismissed his previous statement, stating, “I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”

Later, during a news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mr. Trump neither confirmed nor denied whether he owed Mr. Zelensky an apology, stating instead, “We’re going to have a very good meeting. I have a lot of respect for him.”

IIn contrast to his remarks about Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Trump has continually praised President Putin, describing him as a “very smart guy” and “a very cunning person.” He believes that Mr. Putin genuinely wants peace, and stated on Thursday, “he’ll keep his word” if a deal is reached, despite breakings Ukrainian agreements in the past.

Although he has spoken with Mr. Putin over the phone, Mr. Trump has given little indication as to how he plans to negotiate a cease-fire or a lasting peace agreement. He had previously made campaign promises to end the war within 24 hours, which went unfulfilled.

During Thursday’s news conference, Mr. Trump expressed both optimism and fatalism in his ability to secure peace. “I think it’s going to happen, hopefully quickly,” he said, “if it doesn’t happen quickly, it may not happen at all.”

European leaders have offered to contribute troops to a multinational peacekeeping force in Ukraine after the conflict ends, but Mr. Trump has resisted pressure to commit U.S. forces or provide security guarantees to Ukraine.

Since taking office, Mr. Trump has demanded that Ukraine relinquish some of its natural resources in return for military aid provided under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to help Ukraine defend against Russia. Although Mr. Trump has inaccurately stated that the United States has contributed $350 billion and Europe only $100 billion, the actual figures from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy show that Europe has allocated $138 billion compared to $119 billion from the United States.

Under the proposed rare minerals agreement, Ukraine would contribute half of its revenues from natural resources, including critical minerals, oil, and gas. Mr. Trump presented the deal as an economic development opportunity, stating, “It’ll be good for both countries.”