Ukraine is reportedly set to sign a key deal with the U.S. in hopes it will help bring about an end to the war with Russia.
The Associated Press reported that Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is in Washington D.C. to finalize the technical details of the mineral resources deal.
President Donald Trump has said such agreement is key to ensure future support from the U.S. in the war, adding that having stakes in Ukraine's resources could also work as a security guarantee for the country given the administration's interest in preserving them.
The outlet detailed that Ukraine has deposits of titanium, lithium, graphite and manganese. The former can be used to make aircraft wings and aerospace manufacturing, while the latter are key to build electric cars.
The deal saw a setback in late February following a testy meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, in which the former was ejected from the White House after a public clash in the Oval Office.
Officials told The Associated Press that there have been further negotiations since, and that the Ukrainian side is now satisfied with the state of the deal, which, they say, previously favored American interest. The agreement will have to be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament before going into effect.
The development comes as Russia is reportedly demanding land that Moscow does not currently occupy as a condition to end the war, potentially complicating peace efforts further.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the four regions in question are Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Russia staged referendums in the four regions months after the invasion and Putin said they would be "forever" part of Russia following the results, not recognized by the vast majority of the international community. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called them a "violation of the UN Charter and international law."
Moscow has not fully seized all regions, but the outlet detailed that Putin wants them in full as one of his conditions to end the war. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff sought to persuade him to agree on a ceasefire along the current frontlines, but Putin stood firmly by his demands, Bloomberg added, quoting people familiar with the issue.
Trump changed his tune on the war somewhat after meeting Zelensky at the Vatican during the funeral of Pope Francis, directing his latest criticism to Putin rather than him. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said Russia's recent attacks, which killed several civilians, made him think that Putin "maybe doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?'"
Originally published on Latin Times
