Ukrainian team to visit U.S. for continued talks on minerals deal

This was reported to the Associated Press by Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukrinform reports.

“The new draft agreement from the U.S. shows that the intention to create a fund or jointly invest remains,” Svirydenko said on Saturday during a trip to northern Ukraine.

The delegation from Kyiv will include representatives of the ministries of economy, foreign affairs, justice, and finance.

The long negotiations on the minerals deal have already strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. The two sides had been preparing in February to sign a framework agreement, but the plan was thwarted after a controversial meeting in the Oval Office between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President J. D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

After some Ukrainian lawmakers leaked the new draft, critics saw it as an attempt to strip Kyiv of control over its own natural resources and infrastructure. According to the leaked document, the new draft includes not only rare-earth minerals but also gas and oil.

Ukraine holds significant deposits of more than 20 minerals that the United States considers strategically important, including titanium, which is used to make aircraft wings, lithium, which is key to several battery technologies, and uranium, used in nuclear energy.

It is unclear why the United States decided to bypass signing the framework agreement and instead move forward with a more comprehensive draft that will likely require ratification by the Ukrainian parliament, reports the Associated Press. However, Ukrainian officials are cautious about commenting on the content of the draft, emphasizing that it currently reflects the position of only one party. “What we have now is a document that reflects the position of the U.S. Treasury legal team,” Svyrydenko said.

“This is not a final version, it’s not a joint position,” the Minister of Economy added. According to her, Ukraine’s task now is to assemble a technical team for negotiations, define its red lines and basic principles, and send a delegation to Washington for technical talks this week.

As Ukrinform reported, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a Ukrainian delegation may visit Washington in the near future to continue negotiations on the minerals agreement.