US and Ukraine agree to sign minerals deal – Reuters

The United States and Ukraine are allegedly planning to sign the agreement on Tuesday, but the British agency does not specify which Tuesday it is referring to - this, March 4, or next week.

According to three people familiar with the matter, US President Donald Trump has told his advisers that he will announce his intention to sign the agreement during his address to Congress on March 4.

One of the sources said that in recent days, American and Ukrainian officials have discussed signing the agreement, despite the altercation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on February 28.

After the quarrel with Trump, Zelenskyy repeatedly asserted that Ukraine had not refused the agreement. According to him, the Ukrainian side is ready to sign the agreement "at any time and in any convenient format."

For his part, US Vice President J.D. Vance also said that Trump is "committed to the deal." However, according to him, the US president is sending Ukraine a "very clear message" that it is worth "sitting down at the table" for negotiations.

More about the deal

Ukraine and the United States have agreed to sign an agreement on joint mining of Ukrainian minerals. The first version of the agreement, which provided for the US ownership of 50% of mineral reserves in Ukraine, was not accepted by Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained that the document did not meet Ukrainian interests. This provoked criticism in Washington, leading to direct accusations from US President Donald Trump against Zelenskyy.

Subsequently, the Ukrainian and American sides finalized the document, and the European Pravda outlet published its text.

Ukraine and the United States should create a joint Reconstruction Investment Fund. It will be managed by both sides.

It is assumed that Ukraine will contribute to the fund 50% of all revenues received from the future monetization of its own natural assets, which are in the state ownership of Kyiv.

At the same time, the U.S. government supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain the security guarantees necessary to create a lasting peace. As stated in the agreement, the participants will seek to identify any necessary steps to protect mutual investments, as defined in the fund agreement.

However, the signing of this agreement failed due to a dispute between the Ukrainian and American presidents at the White House on February 28. Donald Trump then stated that Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace.” At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine is still ready to sign the agreement.