Kiev expects to sign minerals deal with US today

Ukraine expects to sign an agreement in Washington later today that will give the United States access to the country's strategic minerals, a document that has been the subject of difficult negotiations in recent months, a senior Ukrainian presidential official said.

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is on her way to Washington and "is expected to sign the agreement tonight," the same source added, quoted by French news agency AFP.

An earlier version of this document was supposed to be signed during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House (presidency) at the end of February, but an altercation with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, precipitated his departure without signing the agreement.

A new version, proposed by Washington in March, was seen as very unfavorable by Ukrainian MPs and media.

Today, Ukrainian officials suggested that as negotiations progressed, the document had been transformed into a version more acceptable to Kiev.

Contrary to what Donald Trump intended, the text does not recognize the US military and economic aid provided to Ukraine to date as a debt to the United States of America (USA), assured the Ukrainian source cited by AFP, who did not clarify whether the text includes the security guarantees requested by Ukraine.

The source only said that the text "guarantees equality between the parties" and provides for the establishment of an "investment fund to invest in the reconstruction" of war-torn Ukraine.

"Both the United States and we are expected to contribute" to this fund, the source explained.

The Ukrainian government is expected to formally approve the final version of this text in the next few hours, which will then have to be ratified by parliament after its signature.

The amount of mineral wealth present on Ukrainian territory remains unclear, as most of these resources are unexplored, difficult to extract or are de facto under Russian control. Many of the resources are located in territories occupied or threatened by the advance of Moscow's troops.

The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).

Ukraine expects to sign an agreement in Washington later today that will give the United States access to the country's strategic minerals, a document that has been the subject of difficult negotiations in recent months, a senior Ukrainian presidential official said.

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is on her way to Washington and "is expected to sign the agreement tonight," the same source added, quoted by French news agency AFP.

An earlier version of this document was supposed to be signed during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House (presidency) at the end of February, but an altercation with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, precipitated his departure without signing the agreement.

A new version, proposed by Washington in March, was seen as very unfavorable by Ukrainian MPs and media.

Today, Ukrainian officials suggested that as negotiations progressed, the document had been transformed into a version more acceptable to Kiev.

Contrary to what Donald Trump intended, the text does not recognize the US military and economic aid provided to Ukraine to date as a debt to the United States of America (USA), assured the Ukrainian source cited by AFP, who did not clarify whether the text includes the security guarantees requested by Ukraine.

The source only said that the text "guarantees equality between the parties" and provides for the establishment of an "investment fund to invest in the reconstruction" of war-torn Ukraine.

"Both the United States and we are expected to contribute" to this fund, the source explained.

The Ukrainian government is expected to formally approve the final version of this text in the next few hours, which will then have to be ratified by parliament after its signature.

The amount of mineral wealth present on Ukrainian territory remains unclear, as most of these resources are unexplored, difficult to extract or are de facto under Russian control. Many of the resources are located in territories occupied or threatened by the advance of Moscow's troops.

The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).

Ukraine expects to sign an agreement in Washington later today that will give the United States access to the country's strategic minerals, a document that has been the subject of difficult negotiations in recent months, a senior Ukrainian presidential official said.

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is on her way to Washington and "is expected to sign the agreement tonight," the same source added, quoted by French news agency AFP.

An earlier version of this document was supposed to be signed during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House (presidency) at the end of February, but an altercation with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, precipitated his departure without signing the agreement.

A new version, proposed by Washington in March, was seen as very unfavorable by Ukrainian MPs and media.

Today, Ukrainian officials suggested that as negotiations progressed, the document had been transformed into a version more acceptable to Kiev.

Contrary to what Donald Trump intended, the text does not recognize the US military and economic aid provided to Ukraine to date as a debt to the United States of America (USA), assured the Ukrainian source cited by AFP, who did not clarify whether the text includes the security guarantees requested by Ukraine.

The source only said that the text "guarantees equality between the parties" and provides for the establishment of an "investment fund to invest in the reconstruction" of war-torn Ukraine.

"Both the United States and we are expected to contribute" to this fund, the source explained.

The Ukrainian government is expected to formally approve the final version of this text in the next few hours, which will then have to be ratified by parliament after its signature.

The amount of mineral wealth present on Ukrainian territory remains unclear, as most of these resources are unexplored, difficult to extract or are de facto under Russian control. Many of the resources are located in territories occupied or threatened by the advance of Moscow's troops.

The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).