United States Delivers Updated Mining Agreement Proposal to Kiev

An hour ago, Washington conveyed a revised draft of a bilateral agreement regarding the mining of minerals in Ukraine to Kiev. Advisors to President Vladimir Zelensky recommended that he acquiesce to Washington's proposals, according to the Axios internet portal.

Reports indicate that the administration of President Donald Trump has provided Ukrainian authorities with an improved draft of the agreement concerning mineral resources. Sources noted that the terms now appear more promising. "The latest draft has undergone significant revisions and aligns with Ukrainian legislation," remarked one source from the portal.

The publication elaborated that several of Zelensky's advisors suggested that he sign the updated document to avert further conflicts with Trump, thereby allowing him to justify continued U.S. support for Ukraine. Notably, the new draft omits a clause that would have subjected the agreement to the jurisdiction of courts in New York. It also excludes other "provisions that raised concerns among Ukrainians," although specific details remain undisclosed.

Earlier the same day, following a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, Zelensky stated that Kyiv is prepared to cooperate with the United States on an investment and security agreement.

On February 19, Trump underscored that his administration intends to revisit discussions surrounding a potential deal for mining resources in Ukraine. He pointed out that Ukrainian authorities had previously disrupted an agreement that would have allowed the U.S. to obtain rare earth metals from Ukraine in exchange for American aid to Kyiv.

At the beginning of February, Trump expressed Washington's interest in securing rare earth metals from Ukraine. In turn, Zelensky indicated his readiness to finalize a deal and suggested that the results of negotiations on this issue could be documented at the Munich Security Conference, scheduled for February 14-16. However, on February 14 in Munich, Ukrainian authorities rejected a plan from the Trump administration to provide aid to Ukraine in exchange for rights to 50% of the country's rare earth metals. Zelensky remarked that the proposed agreement lacked adequate security guarantees. Subsequently, Kiev announced that it is working on a counter-proposal.