President Donald Trump on Thursday signaled that the U.S. and Ukraine could finalize a long-anticipated minerals agreement as soon as next week following weeks of delays and a previous breakdown in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, The Hill reported.
"We have a minerals deal," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "Which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday … next Thursday? Soon."
The agreement, which would give the U.S. access to Ukraine's supply of critical minerals, was initially expected to be finalized during Zelenskyy's visit to Washington in February. However, Trump paused talks after what officials described as a contentious meeting between the two leaders.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that the administration is "still working on the details" regarding when and where the signing will occur. However, officials are aiming for April 26.
"It's substantially what we agreed on previously. The president was here, we had a memorandum of understanding, we went straight to the big deal … and I think it's an 80-page agreement, and that's what will be signed," Bessent said.
Zelenskyy, in comments reported earlier in the day, said Kyiv and Washington could sign a memorandum of intent related to the minerals pact as soon as next Thursday.
"I assume they're going to live up to the deal, so we'll see. But we have a deal on that," Trump said.
The deal is expected to be a key part of the administration's efforts to secure U.S. access to strategic minerals as the Ukraine-Russia war continues.
In February, Trump halted talks and temporarily paused U.S. aid to Ukraine after accusing Zelenskyy of being "not ready for peace" during their Oval Office meeting.
The potential deal resurfaced last month when Trump signed an executive order aimed at increasing domestic production of critical minerals. He confirmed at the time that the Ukraine agreement remained on track.
Trump was asked in the Oval Office on Thursday how long Russian President Vladimir Putin has to respond to his ceasefire plan before new sanctions are imposed.
"We'll see what that will be. We're going to be hearing from them this week. Very shortly, actually. And we'll see," Trump said. "But we want it to stop. We want the death and the killing to stop."
Earlier this week, Trump signed executive actions that could impose tariffs on imported critical minerals, indicating an intention to strengthen U.S. supply chains amid a broader trade confrontation.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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