Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, says his country will send a team to Washington this week to move forward with negotiations on a more expansive draft for a minerals deal offered by the United States.
Svyrydenko stated this on Monday in a post on X.
“We aim to align on project selection, legal frameworks, and long-term investment mechanisms,” Svyrydenko said.
DAILY POST reports that the US administration wants Kyiv to agree to give it a huge stake in Ukraine's future mineral income.
President Donald Trump sees it as a way to get back billions of aid for Ukraine's fight against Russia.
Meanwhile, Kyiv is anxious to maintain the support of its ally but wary of signing away its future wealth.
Recall that in late March, Washington presented Kyiv with a revised draft significantly broader than an earlier version that had been agreed.
According to Svyrydenko, the dialogue with the US reflects the countries' strategic interests and “our shared commitment to building a strong, transparent partnership”.
She added that the Ukrainian delegation to Washington will include representatives of the economy, foreign, justice and finance ministries.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv would not recognise past US aid as loans that must be repaid, or agree to a deal that threatened its future integration with the EU.
