 "US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Trump Tower in New York City, US, September 27, 2024. File Image/Reuters")
Despite escalating tensions and sharp exchanges with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump is reportedly still pursuing a minerals deal with Ukraine.
The proposed deal, aimed at securing access to Ukraine’s vast critical mineral reserves– including graphite, uranium, titanium, and lithium– would initially be simplified, with detailed terms, such as US ownership stakes, to be negotiated later, Reuters cited sources familiar with the matter as saying.
Trump eager to grab Ukraine’s minerals
The renewed push comes after Zelenskyy rejected a previous US proposal that would have granted Washington a 50 per cent share in Ukraine’s critical minerals. Zelenskyy criticised the plan for being overly skewed toward American interests and lacking adequate security guarantees for Kyiv.
Sources noted that while the original US proposal appeared “rapacious” to Ukrainian officials, Kyiv remains open to a revised agreement.
Trump remains eager to finalise a pact before potentially authorising additional US military support for Ukraine or advancing a bid to broker peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
The US president is keen to show American taxpayers that the tens of billions of dollars in military aid provided to Ukraine can be recouped through strategic investments, sources said.
The revised approach would also allow the US to bypass several legal and logistical challenges, with revenue-sharing and ownership details to be worked out later.
What is Ukraine doing?
Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, is in Kyiv this week to discuss the parameters of a revised deal. Zelenskyy confirmed plans to meet Kellogg on Thursday (February 20).
“The Ukrainians are more than willing to give extra advantages to the United States, in the form of privileged concessional access to critical mineral resources, in recognition of the billions of dollars that American taxpayers have put into Ukraine,” said Tyson Barker, former US deputy special envoy for Ukraine’s economic recovery.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe negotiations continue amid a deepening rift between the two leaders. Trump labelled Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” after the Ukrainian president accused Trump of being caught in a Russian disinformation bubble. The accusation came in response to Trump’s claim that Ukraine started the war.
With inputs from agencies