Ukraine offers mineral deal to US as olive branch to Donald Trump

Table of Contents

On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

.

– Mr Zelesnky said he hoped that the conflict could “wrap up by the end of the year”.

Mr Trump also talked up the possibility of a deal, telling reporters: “It seems we're getting pretty close.”

.”

At a later press conference hosted by the pair, Mr Macron praised Mr Trump's efforts in brokering a deal with Mr Putin, but pointed out that lasting peace in Ukraine would require American "backing".

The French president will be followed in just a matter of days by Sir Keir Starmer. The PM has been in close contact with Mr Macron about the need to get defence spending moving faster and to make sure the US is part of any future security help to Ukraine as a crucial "safety net".

There's been a bit of a shift in Ukraine's stance on minerals, coinciding with European leaders' concerted effort to show their full support for Mr Zelensky and Ukraine.

“Russia doesn't have all the aces in this war,” Sir Keir said at the opening of the meeting of leaders in Kyiv aimed at boosting support for Ukraine.

The upbeat talk about a deal with the US first came from Olha Stefanishyna, who is responsible for Ukraine’s European and transatlantic relationships. She posted on X: “Ukrainian and US teams are in the final stages of negotiations regarding the minerals agreement.

“Talks have been going really well, with almost all the major points locked in,” she said in a post that was taken down from social media for a few hours before being put back up.

The details of the draft reportedly guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty, which was a concern with earlier Trump proposals. These had said nothing about Ukraine's future security, but instead demanded it repay $500 billion for the money spent by the US in defending the country.

Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that he wouldn't sign the Trump deal: “I won't sign something that 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back.”

Under Australian law, any deal would need to be ratified by the Australian parliament but the Australian deputy PM said: “We hope that both US and AU [Australia] leaders might sign and endorse it in Washington as soon as possible to demonstrate our commitment for decades to come”.

Which caused concern among Ukraine's allies in Europe.

On Sunday, Mr Bessent said the government's minerals plan was to create a partnership between the US and Ukraine, describing it as a "win-win".

Mr Zelensky has argued that the US grants to Ukraine were not debts that needed to be repaid. However, in setting up a US business presence in Ukraine, based on a formal agreement, he's hoping to give Mr Trump a reason to keep backing Ukraine's fight against Russian forces on its territory.

and that Kyiv should give up on the idea of regaining all the territory it has lost to Russia, as part of a future peace deal.

Russian military advances on the eastern front, particularly around Pokrovsk, and aimed at taking control of the Donetsk province entirely, have been largely repelled.

The Ukrainian military's claims have been backed by analysts from the Institute for the Study of War, who reckon Russia's recent attacks have cost it an extortionate amount in personnel and equipment losses that it can't keep up for a medium-term period for relatively small gains.

Independent readers are autonomously-minded global citizens who aren't defined by conventional demographics or profiles, but by their outlook on life. In today's increasingly fractured world, communities regard reliable, unbiased news sources as trustworthy, valuing authentic facts and candid opinions. With access to accurate information and inspiration, independent readers are empowered and equipped to take a stance on the things they believe in.