Ukraine and the U.S. are closing in on a deal that would sign over the country’s mineral rights in exchange for military support.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the two sides were “nearing” an agreement and a deal could be signed as soon as Saturday.
However, the exact terms of the deal currently remain unclear.
The report stated:
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 isn’t yet complete, people briefed on the talks said. The exact terms couldn’t be learned.
Ukraine holds vast mineral wealth, including major reserves of iron ore, coal, titanium, lithium, and uranium.
Its resources are crucial to steel production, energy, and advanced technologies, making them an important geopolitical consideration in Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to confirm the deal on Friday evening.
“This is an agreement that can strengthen our relations, and the key is to work out the details to ensure its effectiveness,” he said in his nightly video address.
“I look forward to the outcome—a just result.”
However, Zelenskyy had previously refused to sign such a deal, sparking a war of words with Trump that resulted in him calling the Ukrainian leader a “dictator.”
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said Ukraine were now in favor of the proposal.
“I think they want it,” he said. “They feel good about it.”
In an interview with Catherine Herridge, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained why Ukraine will benefit from a mineral rights agreement.
“We discussed this issue about the mineral rights, and we explained to them, look, we want to be in a joint venture with you — not because we’re trying to steal from your country, but because we think that’s actually a security guarantee,” he said.
“If we’re your partner in an important economic endeavor, we get to get paid back some of the money the taxpayers have given — close to $200 billion,” he continued.
“And also now we have a vested interest in the security of Ukraine.”
NEW: Marco Rubio claims that President Zelenskyy acted two-faced with him and President Trump and warns him not to hustle the United States.
RUBIO: “We discussed mineral rights with Zelenskyy and said we want to be in a joint venture with you because we think we need a… pic.twitter.com/Tczl8KEnwl
— Autism Capital (@AutismCapital) February 21, 2025
The post Zelensky Folds Like a Cheap Suit — Will Sign Over Ukraine’s Mineral Rights to U.S. as Compensation For Military Aid appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.