Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky strikes minerals deal with Trump but ‘no specific US security guarantees’
Ukraine has agreed on a crucial minerals deal with the US after the Trump administration dropped key demands.
The draft agreement, however, does not specify any US security guarantees or continued flow of weapons but says that the US wants Ukraine to be free, sovereign and secure, Reuters reported, citing sources.
Kyiv hopes the deal, which will see a fund established between the two countries as they jointly develop Ukraine’s mineral resources, according to the Financial Times, will boost its faltering relationship with Washington.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky plans to visit Washington on Friday to meet Mr Trump after the terms were agreed.
The US dropped Mr Trump’s demand for $500bn in potential revenue from Ukrainian resources, a condition which was rejected out-of-hand by the Ukrainian president.
Included in the deal was a US commitment to back Ukraine’s economic development into the future. Deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna told the FT: “The minerals agreement is only part of the picture. We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it’s part of a bigger picture.”
