Ukrainian officials: Kiev, Washington agree on economic framework agreement

Ukraine and the United States have reached an economic framework agreement that will include American access to rare minerals in Ukraine, three senior Kiev officials said on Tuesday.

Officials who had knowledge of the matter spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. One of the officials said Kiev hopes signing the agreement will ensure continued American military support for which Ukraine urgently needs. There has been no response from President Trump's administration to the publication of the news about a demand for comment.

The deal could be signed Friday as plans are drawn up for President Voldymyr Zelensky to travel towards Washington for a meeting with President Trump, according to one of the Ukrainian officials.

Another official said the agreement would provide an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss a continuing military assistance to Ukraine, stressing the need for Kiev to finalise the deal. According to an official, some technical details are still being processed.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, President Trump said he had heard that Mr. Zelensky would visit Washington. He added that “I agree if he wanted to sign any deal”.

President Trump called it a major deal, adding that it could be worth a trillion dollars. It may be general, but it concerns rare minerals and other things, he said.

However, the framework does not include a controversial proposal by President Trump's administration to give the United States rare Ukrainian minerals worth $500 billion in compensation for assistance in Kyiv's war.

But instead, the United States and Ukraine would have joint ownership of a fund where Ukraine in the future would contribute 50% of revenues from state resources, including minerals, oil and gas, according to officials.

However, the agreement does not involve security guarantees. One official said the two presidents would discuss the issue when they meet.

Progress in negotiating the agreement comes after President Trump and counterpart Zelensky exchanged a sharp rhetoric last week regarding their differences on the issue.

President Zelensky said he refused to sign an agreement prompted by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit to Kiev early in the month. He said he had rejected the signing several days later during a meeting in Munich with US Vice President JD Vance, as the US proposal did not include security guarantees.

Later, President Trump called Mr. Zelenskky a dictator without elections, while voicing claims that support among voters had suffered a drastic decline.

But the two sides achieved significant progress during the three-day visit to Ukraine last week by retired General Keith Kellogg, special envoy of President Trump for Ukraine and Russia.

The idea was initially proposed last fall by President Zelensky as part of his plan to empower Kiev in future negotiations with Moscow. / VOA