The US President Donald Trump wants to link a mineral extraction agreement with Ukraine to a commitment by the Ukrainian side to cease fire as soon as possible.
Bloomberg reports this, citing sources.
Washington allegedly made it clear that Trump was ready to complete the deal, which was suspended after his dispute with Zelensky, if the Ukrainian president agreed to "a real path for a ceasefire and negotiations with Moscow".
These additional conditions are the main reason why the agreement has not yet been signed.
Previously, CBS News reported that Trump was pushing for a "bigger, better deal" with Ukraine on rare earths. The publicationʼs sources noted that the current version of the agreement is not final, and some of its points could change.
Bloomberg also writes that there could be changes to the agreement “in the coming days”. Other sources have warned that the US position could change at any time.
What preceded
After Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a heated argument at the White House on February 28, the US officials continued to talk to the Ukrainian side about the deal. They urged Zelensky’s advisers to force the Ukrainian president to publicly apologize to Trump.
On the evening of March 4, Zelensky said that the meeting with Trump “did not go as planned” and that this must be corrected. Ukraine, according to Zelensky, is ready to sign an agreement on the use of Ukrainian minerals “at any time and in any convenient format”. He considers this a step towards strengthening security and reliable security guarantees.
Trump, in his address to Congress, stressed that he appreciated Kyivʼs willingness to conclude a minerals agreement. A few hours earlier, Reuters wrote that the United States and Ukraine could soon sign a minerals agreement. The publication did not specify a specific date.
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