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Ukraine agrees to terms of minerals deal with US, seeking Trump’s support
An agreement could be signed as early as Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expected in Washington
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Ukraine has agreed on the terms of a minerals deal with the United States and could sign it on Friday, the two countries said, a move Kyiv hopes will lead to future security guarantees from Washington.
US President Donald Trump, in part of a dramatic shift of policy that includes reaching out to Russia, has demanded that Ukraine give access to its rare earth minerals to compensate for the billions of dollars of wartime aid it received under Joe Biden.
The deal would see the United States jointly develop Ukraine’s mineral wealth, with revenues going to a newly created fund that would be “joint for Ukraine and America”, a senior Ukrainian source told Agence France-Presse on the condition of anonymity late on Tuesday.
The source said the draft of the deal included a reference to “security”, but did not explicitly set out the United States’ commitments – one of Kyiv’s prior demands for an agreement.
“There is a general clause that says America will invest in a stable and prosperous sovereign Ukraine, that it works for a lasting peace, and that America supports efforts to guarantee security.
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