US President Donald Trump stated Friday that his administration is close to finalizing an agreement with Ukraine that would grant the United States access to the country's natural resources in return for continued financial and military support against Russia, according to Fox News.

Speaking from the Oval Office after the swearing-in of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump emphasized that Ukraine is open to the deal and sees it as beneficial.

"They want it, and they feel good about it," he said. "And it's significant. It's a big deal. But they want it, and it keeps us in that country. And they're very happy about it."

Trump also criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict, arguing that the war could have been avoided or resolved early on.

"The first week or two weeks after that, it got bad. It got really bad, but it should have been, it should have never happened. And it should have been settled, and it could have been settled very easily at the beginning. Now it's tougher, but we'll get it settled," he said.

Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, suggested on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prepared to finalize the deal soon.

In a separate interview on Fox & Friends earlier this week, Waltz advised Ukraine to moderate its criticism of Trump and return to negotiations, urging them to tone down rhetoric.