Ukraine poised to sign US minerals deal despite last-minute snag

Ukraine said on Wednesday it was poised to sign a minerals deal with the United States imminently after months of sometimes fraught negotiations, although a source familiar with the matter said a last-minute snag had appeared.

Ukraine’s prime minister said First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was flying to the United States to sign the deal, which is central to Kyiv’s efforts to mend ties with Donald Trump and the White House as the US president tries to secure a peace settlement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Two sources told Reuters the signing could happen later on Wednesday. But one source said the US was pushing Ukraine to sign two additional documents as well as the main minerals deal and that Kyiv felt they were not ready yet.

“Who knows – maybe today they will take (those) two docs and finish them too,” the source said.

A draft of the main minerals agreement seen by Reuters showed Ukraine had secured the removal of any requirement for it to pay back the US for past military help, something Ukraine had staunchly opposed.

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The draft agreement gives the US preferential access to new Ukrainian natural resources deals but does not automatically hand Washington a share of Ukraine’s mineral wealth or any of its gas infrastructure, the draft showed.