White House and Ukraine Close In on Deal For Mineral Rights

OMG, the Dark Lord may end the carnage and get some of our money spent back. No president since Eisenhower has done that. Imagine that!

White House and Ukraine Close In on Deal For Mineral Rights

Agreement could help resolve tensions that flared up between Zelensky and Trump

By Alan Cullison, Alexander Ward, WSJ

Feb. 21, 2025 5:36 pm ET

The U.S. and Ukraine are nearing a deal that would hand valuable mineral rights to the U.S., an agreement that the Trump administration has sought as compensation for military aid to fight off Russia’s invasion, people familiar with the matter said.

Ukraine had refused to sign such a deal earlier this week, sparking a war of words between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and fears of a break in relations between Washington and Kyiv.

In an apparent nod to an impending deal, Zelensky said in a nightly video address Friday that teams of U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators were working on a draft agreement.

“This is an agreement that can strengthen our relations, and the key is to work out the details to ensure its effectiveness,” he said. “I look forward to the outcome—a just result.”

Zelensky was presented with a deal by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv last week, but refused to sign, saying the Ukrainian side needed to study it further and that a deal should contain some form of security guarantees for Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said that they had only a few hours to study it before it was presented to them.

An agreement could be signed as soon as Saturday, although it is not yet complete, people briefed on the talks said. The exact terms could not be learned.

Asked about the prospect of a deal on minerals with Ukraine, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Friday: “I think they want it. They feel good about it.”