Major minerals deal: Kyiv, Washington reach consensus

The United States and Ukraine have agreed on the terms of a draft minerals deal, a move seen as central to Kyiv’s efforts to maintain Washington’s support as US President Donald Trump seeks to expedite an end to the ongoing war with Russia.

While the draft agreement does not include US security guarantees or assurances of continued weapons supply, it does affirm Washington’s stance that Ukraine should be “free, sovereign and secure,” according to a source familiar with its contents.

The deal is expected to open access to Ukraine’s vast mineral reserves for the US, as Trump has framed the agreement as a way for American taxpayers to be repaid for the billions of dollars in aid sent to Kyiv.

Trump also said some form of peacekeeping force would be necessary in Ukraine if a deal to end the conflict were reached, a suggestion Moscow has rejected outright. Some European nations, however, have signaled willingness to contribute peacekeeping troops.

Trump, who last week exchanged sharp words with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian leader is expected in Washington on Friday to sign a “very big deal.”