US President Donald Trump has confirmed the Ukrainian parliament’s ratification of a minerals deal between the US and Ukraine.
President Trump has announced upcoming talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. This announcement coincides with the confirmation that the Ukrainian parliament has ratified a minerals agreement between the two nations.
Speaking to journalists at the White House on Thursday, Trump stated, “We just concluded the rare earth deal with Ukraine. We appreciate that and I’ll be speaking with [Zelensky] in a little while.” He did not specify the date or format of the planned discussion.
The two leaders previously met at the Vatican in late April, during Pope Francis’ funeral. Reports suggest Zelensky used that opportunity to urge Trump to continue working towards resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to The Economist.
Trump’s statement follows the ratification of a comprehensive bilateral minerals agreement with the US by the Ukrainian parliament. This agreement, reached last week after lengthy negotiations, aims to establish a joint investment fund between Washington and Kiev, granting the US preferential access to Ukraine’s natural resources.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal noted that the security guarantees sought by Zelensky’s government from the US were not included in the agreement.
On Thursday, Trump expressed his appreciation for the ratification, stating, “we appreciate that.” He added that the US now has “access to a massive amount of very, very high-quality rare earths.”
In February, Reuters cited Ukrainian think tanks estimating that approximately 40% of Ukraine’s metal resources are currently under Russian control.
The Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD) reports that between 50% and 100% of Ukraine’s claimed lithium, tantalum, cesium, and strontium deposits are located in Russian-controlled territory.
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