Following the Trump administration’s apparent easing of its demands that the agreement allow Washington to recover billions of dollars of previous military funding, Kyiv authorities reportedly now say Ukraine and the U.S. are poised to finalize an agreement for access to Ukrainian mineral resources within the next 24 hours.
In a televised interview, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is currently traveling to Washington, D.C., to finalize the agreement in person.
A key component of the deal is an investment fund that the United States and Ukraine would jointly manage and contribute to.
In what seems to be a significant concession to Ukraine, the most recent draft does not require Kyiv to repay previous military aid, which was a red line for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
President Trump had presented the agreement as a means for the United States to recover tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. However, new military assistance will be counted as a contribution to the fund by the United States.
The minerals deal’s completion would be a high point for Kyiv and Washington’s relationship, which has deteriorated recently due in part to the agreement over Ukraine’s minerals.
Trump and Zelensky met one-on-one at the Vatican during the weekend before Pope Francis’ funeral, and both leaders described the conversation as fruitful, suggesting that tensions between them have decreased.
A deal would also help Ukraine’s morale as its citizens deal with Russia’s daily bombardment, which has killed and injured hundreds of civilians nationwide in recent weeks while cease-fire talks have failed.
The White House also sees the agreement as a sort of security guarantee for Ukraine in the event that Russia and Ukraine agree to a cease-fire.
Trump administration officials contend that having American companies operating in Ukraine would discourage Moscow from launching another attack.
According to Shmyhal, the two teams were still hammering out the last technical elements in the minerals document translation. In order to negotiate the deal, he went to Washington last week.
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