Ukraine and the United States have reached a framework economic agreement that will include American access to rare earth minerals in Ukraine, three senior Kiev officials said on Tuesday.
The officials, who were familiar with the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. One of the officials said Kiev hopes the deal will secure continued U.S. military support that Ukraine urgently needs. The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The agreement could be signed as soon as Friday, as plans are being made for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Washington for a meeting with President Trump, according to one of the Ukrainian officials.
Another official said the agreement would provide an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss continued military aid to Ukraine, stressing the need for Kiev to finalize the deal. According to one official, some technical details are still being worked out.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump said he had heard that Mr. Zelenskyy would be visiting Washington. He added that “I’m fine with him if he wanted to sign a deal.”
President Trump called it a major deal, adding that it could be worth a trillion dollars. It could be general, but it has to do with rare earths and other things, he said.
However, the framework does not include a controversial proposal by President Trump's administration to give the United States $500 billion worth of rare Ukrainian minerals as compensation for helping Kiev in the war.
But instead, the United States and Ukraine would have joint ownership of a fund to which Ukraine would in future contribute 50% of revenues from state resources, including minerals, oil and gas, according to officials.
However, the agreement does not include security guarantees. An official said the two presidents would discuss the issue when they meet.
The progress in negotiating the deal comes after President Trump and counterpart Zelenskyy exchanged sharp rhetoric last week regarding their differences on the issue.
President Zelenskyy said he rejected signing an agreement brokered by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit to Kyiv earlier this month. He said he opposed signing it a few days later during a meeting in Munich with US Vice President JD Vance because the US proposal did not include security guarantees.
President Trump then called Mr. Zelensky 'a dictator without an election' while claiming that support for him among voters had plummeted.
But the two sides made significant progress during a three-day visit to Ukraine last week by retired General Keith Kellogg, President Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
The idea was first proposed last fall by President Zelenskyy as part of his plan to empower Kiev in upcoming negotiations with Moscow./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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