File photo: Republican presidential candidates, former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelensky, were held on September 27, 2024 at Trump Tower in New York City.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
Media reports say Ukraine and the United States are trying to strengthen relations with major wartime Atlantic allies under the Trump administration, and media reports say access to rare earth mineral Kiev deposits. An agreement has been reached.
The draft contract envisages the two countries jointly develop Ukrainian mineral resources, including oil and gas, and the US believes it will reduce the demand for potential revenue rights from the contract. Masu. on tuesday.
US President Donald Trump appeared to confirm progress on the deal that has not yet been engraved.
“I’m hearing that (there’s a deal), and I hear that (Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky) will be coming on Friday,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
“If he wants, that’s certainly fine for me. He wants to sign with me. And I think it’s a big deal, and it’s a very big deal.” He added.
Trump said the agreement provided Kyiv with billions of dollars in aid and “many equipment, military equipment, and originally the right to fight.”
The contract text, according to the financial age, does not grant certain security guarantees for Ukraine. This is to look at the postwar future, where it is protected from Russian attacks.
CNBC reached out to the Ukrainian Foreign Office and the U.S. State Department for comment. Neither CNBC nor NBC News have seen copies of the “Framework Agreement.”
Bloomberg News and Sky News also reported that the terms of the agreement have been reached.
Ukrainian officials from the Ministry of Economy reportedly have $350 billion worth of natural resources worth of in Russian occupied territory over the weekend, the Kiev Independent reported on Sunday.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Orha Stefanishna led negotiations between Washington and Kiev on the mineral trade, telling the Financial Times on Tuesday that he “heard it many times from the US administration.”
“Ukraine, I would say they are very brave and they are good soldiers, but without the US and its money and its military equipment, this war would have ended in a very short time,” Trump said. added Tuesday.
Security Guarantee
Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industry, told the BBC on Wednesday that the deal was not exactly what the US or Ukraine wanted, “it’s sufficient to move forward with the negotiation process.”
“A lot of things we didn’t like have been dropped,” he told British broadcasters, adding that discussions about security assurances need to continue.
“If the Russians can recontain one month after signing the contract, there is no point in signing a transaction on important minerals,” he said.
Ukrainian leadership has been under sustained pressure to sculpt deals with the United States since President Donald Trump took office in January. The president initially proposed to grant the United States 50% ownership of rare earth minerals as compensation for military aid that Kiev gave to Ukraine. Trump previously argued in an interview that the US has access to $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals, which is in return for the aid Kyiv has already received.
Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelensky challenged the amount of wartime aid the United States gave Ukraine, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to about $100 billion. In an independent analysis by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the amount of US support committed to Ukraine is 114.2 billion euros, or $119.5 billion.
“From Trump, I want to understand what Ukraine can get, but also to ensure security and condition the aftermath of the hot phase of the war,” Zelensky said in the Ukraine: 2025 Forum. He spoke on the eve of his third anniversary on Sunday. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The contract should be a win-win for American businesses and Ukrainians,” he added in a comment translated by NBC News. “I have not signed that 10 generations of Ukrainians will be rewarded.”
US President Donald Trump (CL) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Voldy Mirzelensky (CR) inside Notre Dame Cathedral ahead of the ceremony to commemorate the reopening of the landmark cathedral in central Paris on December 7, 2024. Masu.
Ludovic Marin | AFP | Getty Images
“About $500 billion. Let’s deal with the numbers first. I know we had $100 billion. That’s true. I don’t acknowledge $500 billion… to be honest , I’m not. I’m ready to fix 100 billion.
Zelensky also added that the support that Ukraine still receives is a legacy of the previous US administration under Joe Biden, “as far as I understand it, there are new conditions for support.” Ta.
In separate comments last week, Zelenskyy said he was unable to “sell” his country and that the initial proposal from the US did not provide Ukraine the guarantee it was seeking.
Last week’s Ukrainian leader reportedly ordered the minister not to register for any transaction last week, and the proposed proposal focuses too much on our profits, and Ukraine offers almost in return He said that it has not been done.
