The United States and Ukraine are metal signs

The United States will share future revenues of metal reserves in Ukraine under a deal announced by the Trump administration on Wednesday, which creates a joint investment fund between countries.

The agreement comes after months of charged negotiations, as the United States is trying to mediate in the Ukraine war for three years with Russia. He aims to give President Trump a personal share in the fate of the country while addressing his concerns that the United States had provided Kiev with an empty examination of an attempt to bear the invasion of Russia.

“This agreement clearly indicates that Russia is that the Trump administration is committed to the peace process that focuses on Ukraine, free, high and prosperous in the long run,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen said in a statement. “President Trump depicts this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show the commitment of both sides to permanent peace and prosperity in Ukraine.”

He added: “To be clear, no country or person who has funded or supplied the Russian war machine is allowed to benefit from the rebuilding of Ukraine.”

The Trump administration did not immediately provide details about the agreement, and it was not clear to the future of US military support for Ukraine. A person familiar with the negotiations, which he discusses, said, provided that his identity is not disclosed, that the final deal does not include clear guarantees for American security assistance in the future. Another said that the United States rejected this idea early in the operation. Despite the uproar, the deal will not have little importance if the fighting between Ukraine and Russia continues.

But Ukraine supporters hope that the agreement will lead Mr. Trump to see the country more than just a hole of money and an obstacle to improved relations with President Vladimir F. Putin from Russia.

The concept of giving the United States a stake in the minerals of Ukraine was proposed for the first time to Mr. Trump by the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zellinski, during a meeting in Trump last September.

While this announcement did not refer to the minerals in Ukraine, a Treasury spokesman said that the deal indicates the natural resources agreement that was the subject of negotiations.

The Treasury said that the American International Development Finance Foundation will work with Ukraine to end the details of the agreement.

In a post on TelegramThe Prime Minister in Ukraine, Dennis Schmal, wrote that the two countries will have equal vote rights on the fund and that Ukraine will retain full control over the structure of soil, infrastructure and natural resources. He also said that the profits of the investment fund in Ukraine will be reinforced.

“Thanks to this agreement, we will be able to attract important resources for reconstruction, start economic growth, and receive the latest technologies from partners and a strategic investor in the United States,” said Mr. Shmeyhal.

In Washington, many Ukraine allies breathed a sophisticated a sigh of relief, describing the deal with a noticeable improvement on previous versions – and a sign that Kiev could work constructively with Mr. Trump.

William B. Taylor, a former American ambassador at Kiev: “They got a much better metal deal” than the first that the first suggested. “The Americans took a lot of Ukrainian suggestions.”

“A good sign of the ceasefire negotiations,” added Mr. Taylor.

A former US official said that the Trump administration had rejected at least one Ukrainian effort to include explicit security guarantees, such as the continuation of US military aid to Kiev.

But the former official said that the agreement will serve the important purpose of building goodwill with Mr. Trump, and giving him an economic interest in the country’s survival and stability.

The deal was delayed after an explosive meeting in the Oval Office in late February between President Trump and Mr. Zelinski. In the two months, the main point in negotiations has focused on whether American aid provided to Ukraine has been concentrated since Russia has launched its full invasion in February 2022 as debts that Ukraine needs to pay.

Mr. Trump said that Ukraine should pay money. Ukrainian officials said that approval to do so would punish the country financially for generations.

Ukraine initially suggested that the United States invest to mining in Ukraine as an incentive for the United States to support any peace agreement with security guarantees to prevent Russian aggression in the future.

But talks about the deal were controversial since its inception in February. Besides saying that Ukraine needed to pay the United States to help it, Mr. Trump also said that Ukraine should look at Europe, not the United States, for any security guarantees.

The previous drafts had revolved between what the critics called Flipalization of Ukraine’s rudeness By the Trump administration and the publications that included the points requested by Ukraine, such as references to the US support to ensure post -war security. Without them, as Ukraine says, Russia can quickly violate any stop or restart the war after reassembles its ranks and retreat.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Zellinski were supposed to sign a deal at the White House in February. But instead of signing it, Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance Tobis Ukrainian leader In front of television cameras, saying he was not grateful enough to help us. Mr. Zellinski was asked to leave.

Then the Trump administration was briefly suspended All American military aid and intelligence participation in Ukraine. Mr. Trump said that Mr. Zellinski “must be more appreciated” to restart the negotiations.

Mr. Zellinski applied with an introduction the next day, and called the “unfortunate” oval office meeting.

Some inside Ukraine did not see the deal more than the United States benefiting from Ukraine’s dependence on American weapons and financial support to win valuable natural resources, without providing strong guarantees in return. American negotiators said that the American investment will deter in the future.

In a memorandum of intention to conclude the deal, signed on April 16, Ukraine and the United States have set an agreement to form a reconstruction fund after the war.

In addition to opening opportunities for American companies in mining, oil or natural gas, the fund can direct reconstruction work, which is expected to be a company with billions of dollars if the ceasefire is reached, for American companies.

But Mr. Zelinski explained that the mineral agreement is not in itself. He said that the conclusion of the deal aims to purify the road to more talks that are over the American military support and the conditions for a potential ceasefire with Russia.

“We see this agreement a step towards more security and strong security guarantee, and I really hope it will work effectively,” said Mr. Zelinski in March. On x.

The Ukrainian authorities say that the country holds deposits for more than 20 critical minerals; One consultant company You can deserve several trillion dollars. But it may not be easy to extract, and the maps dating back to the Soviet era determine the place where critical deposits have not been updated and were not fully examined.

Ukraine now earns about $ 1 billion annually than natural resource royalties, much lower than hundreds of billions of dollars, Mr. Trump said it is expected to win the United States from the agreement.

The revenue sharing deal comes in a dangerous moment for Ukraine: Russian forces have seized the advantage in the battlefield, and Mr. Trump is close to For Mr. Putin.

The ceasefire deal proposed by the United States-at least the conditions announced-prefer Russia. It would force Kiev to give up his aspirations to join NATO, and will provide Ukraine only mysterious security guarantees and will see the United States recognize the Peninsula of Crimea. Ukraine Refuse that deal.

The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to stay away from peace negotiations. On Sunday, Mr. Trump said he wanted a ceasefire deal within two weeks or less-later, he said the last time may be acceptable.

But Mr. Trump also insisted that the metal deal must be signed. On Friday, he said that Ukraine was delayed at least three weeks in signing the metal agreement with the United States “we hope it will be signed immediately,” he wrote on Truth Social.

There was some uncertainty about the deal on Wednesday, as Ukrainian officials arrived in Washington and indicated that they were looking for some late changes.

During the White House cabinet meeting, Mr. Bessent expressed optimism that the agreement, which he said was reached in principle during the weekend, will be signed soon.

“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some changes at the last minute,” said Mr. Pesin. “We are sure that they will reconsider this and we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.”

Cassandra Fenardand continuous and Oleksandra mykolyyshyn The reports contributed.