US and Ukraine banners note on the metal deal

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Kyiv and Washington signed a memorandum of intention to submit an agreement on an investment fund for natural resources and energy assets in Ukraine.

The officials said the memo was signed “actually” and that they hope to finalize the full economic agreement early next week.

Yulia Sferidino, Deputy Minister and Prime Minister of Economy, confirmed the signing, and published a picture of herself with Treasury Secretary Scott Payet in their offices.

She said: “Today we took a step towards a joint economic partnership agreement with the United States,” adding that the memo “testifies to the constructive work of our teams and the intention of completing the agreement, which will be useful for all of our peoples.”

She said that the full agreement “will open opportunities for large investments, update infrastructure, and useful partnership for both parties between Ukraine and the United States.”

What Ukrainian officials said, “positive steps forward” – after the talks came out after the confrontation between the presidents Folodimir Zellinski and Donald Trump at the White House in February – gets what was a difficult negotiation process on the right track.

Speaking in a briefing on Thursday before the signing, Zelinski said that American negotiators had suggested a temporary step as a gesture of goodwill, while legal teams continued on both sides to work on the details of the full agreement.

He said: “This is a memorandum of intent – not the same agreement – but it reflects our constructive and positive intentions.”

Later on Thursday, during a meeting with Prime Minister Italy, Georgia Meloni, at the Oval Office, Trump said his administration was planning to sign a full agreement on natural resources and energy assets next Thursday.

Bessent later, however, explained that the details are still completed, with the aim of signing April 26, next Saturday.

He added that the deal was largely identical, like one, previously negotiated, as Zelinski and Trump did not sign a memorandum of understanding. However, Ukrainian officials said they managed to distribute the deal more with their preferences.

Ukrainian officials familiar with this matter said that the aspects were expected to report only by April 26, after Prime Minister Dennis Shmeallle visited Washington, with the aim of concluding discussions and signing shortly.

They said it is possible to sign the full deal at that time, but it will not be clear that negotiations are completed in the coming days.

“I assume they will get the deal,” Trump said.

Trump has called for a broad agreement that gives American preferential access to natural resources in Ukraine, including critical minerals and rare land, and placed them as billions of dollars in compensation in military aid provided to Kyiv under the management of Joe Biden. However, Zelenskyy was cautious about signing a deal that did not include security guarantees.

The US proposal draft was sent to Kyiv last month and FIRST reported by financial times He went beyond a joint economic agreement shown in February. The proposal represents a sharp escalation of Washington’s demands with any security guarantees in Washington in return.

Senior Ukrainian officials have warned that the deal, as the written may threaten national sovereignty, transform profits abroad and increase dependence on the United States.

The proposal covered all metal resources, including oil and gas, and called for a supervisory plate with the veto in the United States to oversee the revenues of the division of money from energy and mineral projects between the two countries.

Since then, Ukraine has rented the American law firm Hogan Luvils to work with the first of which is Stephenychina, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, to negotiate a better deal with the United States, according to the Ukraine government and the Foreign agent registration law that FT reviewed.

Ukrainian officials familiar with the issue FT told that progress was made to retract some of the most controversial American demands, which could have prevented parliament in the country. However, they refused to provide details while negotiations were still ongoing.

The issue was very sensitive Zelenskyy launched an investigation In another leakage of an American proposal to profit from the Ukrainian origin, which included the use of lying tests on government officials.

Once this is completed, the agreement will need the approval of the Ukraine Parliament, Verkhovna Rada.