The U.S. And Ukraine Reached A Minerals Deal

Ukraine has agreed to turn over the revenue from some of its mineral resources to the U.S., an American and a Ukrainian official said yesterday, in a deal that followed an intense pressure campaign from President Trump. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, Ukraine would receive from the U.S. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine previously rejected at least one other draft agreement because it lacked specific U.S. security guarantees and because Trump was requesting mineral rights worth $500 billion. Some of the more onerous conditions have since been removed. A U.S. official said a final translated draft of the agreement was sent to Ukraine yesterday; this would first be signed by the U.S. Treasury secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart, before being signed by Trump and Zelensky in Washington. The draft agreement said Ukraine would contribute half of its revenues from the future monetization of natural resources to a fund. The U.S. would own the maximum financial interest in the fund allowed under American law. The fund would also be designed to reinvest some revenues into Ukraine.