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Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelensky said Tuesday that the US proposed a new and important mineral trade with Kiev, which went beyond the first framework that was hammered last month, as part of Donald Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told reporters that he had not yet fully reviewed the proposal, but it did not include the increase in US involvement in Ukraine’s nuclear sector that Trump proposed last week.
The Ukrainian president described the latest US proposal as a “large and comprehensive agreement.”
The Financial Times reported Friday that the Trump administration is seeking new conditions for access to Ukraine’s key mineral and energy assets, and is considering potentially including the economic demands on Kyiv, including the ownership of its nuclear facility.
The US President has sought a mineral contract to retrieve billions of dollars worth of military aid provided to Kiev since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Washington is currently proposing a mineral agreement that bypasses the previous framework stage and goes directly to bash details about who owns and manages the co-investment fund.
Zelenskyy said: “We previously had a framework agreement and the full agreement was formulated. The US is now offering a grand agreement right away.”
A spokesman for the US Treasury said, “The United States remains committed to ensuring a prompt conclusion to this important agreement and the lasting peace in both Ukraine and Russia.”
The United States refused to sign the first critical mineral agreement after tragic destruction at the White House, which includes Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelensky. Washington responded temporarily by suspending US military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev.
The original, critical mineral trade that was hampered for two weeks in February was intended to pave the way for further discussion about Ukraine’s US security guarantees after the end of the war with Russia.
The White House argues that security assurances are inherent to critical mineral trade, as US economic investment in Ukraine will stop Russia from attacking again.
Kiev has not fully embraced the debate and is demanding further guarantees from the US, which it has not received before.
Many details of the mineral trade proposed by the US are unknown, and Ukrainian officials are plagued by multi-page documents, but they were released that it did not ask for the nuclear power plant to the US.
However, officials are worried that efforts to secure a version of the Trump administration’s original agreement could be lost and replaced by proposals that include greater economic demands.
Ukrainian officials familiar with the issue said Washington raised the nuclear issue in the debate but did not include it in the new proposal.
They did not rule it out as part of future consultations related to Trump’s push to end Russian invasions in Ukraine.
There was disruption last week following a call between Trump and Zelensky after the US president said he had discussed the possibility of taking over control of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
Zelenskyy said the two leaders discussed only the Zaporidia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine. This is currently under the control of the Russian army.
