KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement that would give the U.S. access to its valuable rare minerals in the hopes of ensuring continued American support for Kyiv in its grinding war with Russia, senior Ukrainian officials said Wednesday.
Ukraine’s economy minister and deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesday to help finalize the deal, according to two senior Ukrainian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren鈥檛 authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
For Ukraine, the agreement is seen as key to ensuring its access to future U.S. military aid.
鈥淭ruly, this is a strategic deal for the creation of an investment partner fund,鈥 Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Ukrainian television. “This is truly an equal and good international deal on joint investment in the development and restoration of Ukraine between the governments of the United States and Ukraine.鈥
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated in February that he wanted access to Ukraine鈥檚 rare earth materials as a condition for continued U.S. support in the war, describing it as reimbursement for the billions of dollars in aid the U.S. has given to Kyiv. But talks stalled after a of U.S. and Ukrainian leaders, and reaching an agreement since then has proven difficult and strained relations between Washington and Kyiv.
It wasn鈥檛 immediately clear if the Trump administration was also ready to finalize the deal Wednesday.
The U.S. is seeking access to more than 20 raw materials deemed strategically critical to its interests, including some non-minerals such as oil and natural gas. Among them are , which is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. Ukraine also has lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.
After Kyiv felt the initial U.S. draft of the deal disproportionately favored American interests, it introduced new provisions aimed at addressing those concerns.
According to Shmyhal, the latest version would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to a joint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S. military aid would count toward the American share. Assistance provided before the agreement was signed would not be counted. Unlike an earlier draft, the deal would not conflict with Ukraine鈥檚 鈥 a key provision for Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Cabinet was expected to approve the agreement鈥檚 text before it could be signed in Washington. The deal would then need to be ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament before it could take effect.
Putin wants answers before committing to a ceasefire
The negotiations come amid rocky progress in Washington’s push to stop the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin backs calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, 鈥渂ut before it鈥檚 done, it鈥檚 necessary to answer a few questions and sort out a few nuances,鈥 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin is also ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal, he added.
鈥淲e realize that Washington wants to achieve quick progress, but we hope for understanding that the Ukrainian crisis settlement is far too complex to be done quickly,鈥 Peskov said during his daily conference call with reporters.
Trump has over the slow pace of progress in negotiations aimed at stopping the war. Western European leaders have accused Putin of stalling while his forces seek to grab more Ukrainian land. Russia has captured nearly a fifth of Ukraine鈥檚 territory since Moscow’s forces launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Trump has chided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for steps that he said were and he has rebuked Putin for complicating negotiations with in launching on Kyiv.
Trump has long dismissed the war as a waste of lives and American taxpayer money. That could spell an end to crucial military help for Ukraine and heavier economic sanctions on Russia.
US wants both sides to move faster
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday tried again to push both sides to move more quickly and warned that the U.S. could pull out of the negotiations if there’s no progress.
鈥淲e are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict,” department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce quoted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as telling her.
Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt to Ukraine鈥檚 mobilization effort and Western arms supplies to Kyiv.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Wednesday that Ukraine had accepted an unconditional truce only because it was being pushed back on the battlefield, where the bigger Russian forces have the upper hand.
UN says Ukrainian civilian casualties are on the rise
Meanwhile, Ukrainian civilians have been killed or wounded in attacks every day this year, according to a U.N. report presented Tuesday in New York.
The U.N. Human Rights Office said in the report that in the first three months of this year, it had verified 2,641 civilian casualties in Ukraine. That was almost 900 more than during the same period last year.
Also, between April 1-24, civilian casualties in Ukraine were up 46% from the same weeks in 2024, it said.
The daily grind of the war shows no sign of letting up. A nighttime Russian drone attack on Ukraine鈥檚 wounded at least 45 civilians, Ukrainian officials said.
Also Wednesday, the Ukrainian Security Service claimed its drones struck the Murom Instrument Engineering Plant in Russia鈥檚 Vladimir region overnight, causing five explosions and a fire at the military facility. The claim could not be independently verified.
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