US and Ukraine ‘very close’ to signing minerals deal: Kyiv minister says ‘nearly all’ details of pact with Trump are finalised as Boris Johnson hails chance to secure future

The US and Ukraine are ‘very close’ to signing a minerals deal that could guarantee future security, it was claimed today.

Kyiv’s deputy PM said ‘nearly all’ the details of a pact were now settled after weeks of bitter wrangling between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump.

Olga Stefanishyna suggested the agreement to develop Ukraine’s natural resources could soon be signed in Washington ‘to showcase our commitment for decades to come’.   

The potential breakthrough has been hailed by Boris Johnson, as he joined events to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The former premier argued that Vladimir Putin would be the ‘loser’ as the US would defend its economic interests.  

Mr Zelensky initially floated an agreement on rare earth minerals in return for security guarantees as he tries to keep US backing for the battle against Putin.

However, the two sides have been struggling to seal the terms, with complaints that the commitments from America are not enough. 

Mr Trump has insisted that Ukraine needs to make up for the military support it has received so far, while Mr Zelensky said over the weekend that he would not sign a loan deal that had to be ‘paid off by generation after generation’.

However, Mr Zelensky said discussions were ‘making progress’.

‘We are ready to share,’ he said, while stressing that the US must ensure Putin ‘ends this war’.

Mr Johnson told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘I believe that we’re very close to getting this minerals agreement signed between the United States and Ukraine, and that commits the US not only to future financing of Ukraine, but also to a free, sovereign and secure Ukraine.

‘I think that it’s positive for Ukraine – and don’t forget, the fundamental loser in all that is going to be Putin, because what Putin wants is Ukraine to be a vassal state of Russia.’

Mr Johnson added: ‘What this deal envisages is an economic partnership with America, and the two things are simply not compatible.’

As he braces for a potentially stormy showdown with Mr Trump in Washington on Thursday, Keir Starmer will join a group call with European leaders and confirm fresh sanctions against Putin’s cronies.

The gathering comes amid mounting alarm in Western states about America’s dramatic move to launch negotiations with Putin and sideline Nato. Mr Zelensky has also so far been shut out of the discussions, with Mr Trump even branding him a ‘dictator’.   

Sir Keir reiterated Britain’s ‘ironclad’ backing for Kyiv in a series of chats with allies over the weekend as he make the case for safeguards to protect the country’s sovereignty.

But he is walking a tightrope as he tries to maintain the ‘Special Relationship’ with Mr Trump, who has taken an axe to long-standing alliances. After topping German elections overnight, the next Chancellor Freidrich Merz attacked interference from the US and warned that Europe could no longer rely on the superpower.