Ukraine expects to sign minerals deal with US in ‘next 24 hours’: PM

Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukraine expects to sign a much-anticipated minerals deal with the United States in “the next 24 hours”, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Wednesday, as both sides finalised details.

The agreement would see Washington and Kyiv jointly develop Ukraine´s mineral resources, an arrangement US President Donald Trump has called “money back” for the wartime aid it has received from the United States.

“This is truly a good, equal and beneficial international agreement on joint investments in the development and recovery of Ukraine,” Shmygal said on national TV.

“I hope that the agreement will be signed in the near future, within the next 24 hours, and we will take the first step,” he added.

Kyiv and Washington planned to sign the agreement weeks ago, but a fiery clash between Trump and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House temporarily derailed talks.

Ukraine has been pushing for security guarantees as part of any deal to halt Russia´s three-year invasion.

The United States argues boosting American business interests in Ukraine will help deter Russia from future aggression in the event of a ceasefire. A senior source in the Ukrainian presidency did not reply to a question about whether the deal included any security guarantees for Ukraine.