Glenn Zorpette

6 min read Glenn Zorpette is editorial director for content development at IEEE Spectrum. The purpose of the now notorious meeting between president Donald J. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 28 February was to finalize an agreement on critical minerals, including rare earths. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images When a seemingly routine Oval Office press conference degenerated into a shouting match on 28 February, the world looked on in astonishment. That is, except