The United States has reached an agreement with Ukraine to jointly develop the country’s mineral resources, with revenue from the venture directed into a newly established fund shared by both nations.
Senior Ukrainian officials, as cited by multiple news agencies, disclosed the details of the draft deal.
Despite the economic cooperation, the agreement does not include the security assurances Ukraine had been seeking.
While the draft references “security,” it provides no clear definition of the US role in this regard. One official suggested that the matter will be a key point of discussion when the leaders of both nations meet.
Notably, President Donald Trump had previously sought $500 billion worth of Ukrainian minerals, far surpassing the $60 billion in military aid provided by the US since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected this demand, and it is absent from the current draft.
Trump commented on the potential scale of the deal, stating, “It could be a trillion-dollar deal. It could be whatever.”
On the issue of military presence, Trump hinted at the necessity of “some form” of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
While some European nations have expressed willingness to contribute forces, Trump claimed on Monday that Moscow would accept such peacekeepers.
The Kremlin, however, issued a denial the following day.
As Ukraine enters its fourth year of war, the grim anniversary underscores the country’s ongoing struggle against Russian forces.
Officials in Kyiv hope that the minerals deal will help mend rapidly deteriorating relations with Trump’s administration.
Tensions have escalated since Trump’s return to the White House. Last week, he criticized Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” who had lost public support. He also warned the Ukrainian leader to “move fast” in negotiations with Russia, cautioning that he “might not have a country left.”
Zelenskyy, in turn, accused Trump of being influenced by Russian “disinformation space.”
A Ukrainian official indicated that Kyiv views the minerals deal as a potential means of securing continued US military assistance, which remains critical for Ukraine’s defense.
