US President Donald Trump has said that the United States will soon sign a mineral and natural resources agreement with Ukraine.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday evening that his efforts to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia are going "very well," after speaking this week with the leaders of the two countries embroiled in the war.
"We're doing very well with Ukraine and Russia. And one of the things we're doing is signing a deal with Ukraine very quickly on rare earth minerals," Trump said.
As Trump was making these comments, Russian forces attacked civilian infrastructure in Odessa, causing damage and injuring three people, including a girl, the regional governor said.
"The enemy strongly attacked Odessa and the region with drones," said Governor Oleh Kiper.
"There is damage to civilian infrastructure, including a high-rise residential building, a shopping mall and shops," he wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, in Russia's Kursk region, Ukrainian forces reportedly attacked the Sudzha gas distribution station. Independent media outlet Sota published a photo on Telegram showing a large fire.
Ukrainian government officials have not commented on the attack. Moscow also did not report the incident.
The station was the only point through which Russian gas passed on its way to Europe, until Ukraine refused to extend a transit agreement in January.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered Ukrainians in the occupied territories of Ukraine to obtain Russian passports by September 10 or leave. The ultimatum applies to Ukrainians in the occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, former Ukrainian Economy Minister Tymofiy Mylovanov said on X.
This week, Trump held separate talks with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an attempt to broker a ceasefire between the two neighboring countries.
He failed to secure a full 30-day ceasefire, but the talks did lead Putin to agree to a 30-day pause in Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. After talks with Trump, Zelensky said he would also accept such a pause.
"We want this (war) to end, and I think we're doing pretty well in that regard," Trump said.
Ukraine and the United States agreed earlier this month to conclude a comprehensive agreement on the development of its mineral resources. Efforts to finalize the deal collapsed on February 28 after a heated debate between Trump and Zelensky at the White House.
Trump and Zelensky agreed on March 19 to work together to end Russia's war in Ukraine, during a phone call that the White House described as "excellent."
It is not clear whether the terms of the minerals deal have changed. An earlier version did not include the security guarantees for Ukraine that Zelensky had sought./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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