Ukraine and the United States have reached a framework economic agreement that will include U.S. access to rare minerals in Ukraine, said three senior Ukrainian officials on Tuesday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, indicated that Kyiv hopes the signing of the agreement will ensure continued U.S. military support that Ukraine urgently needs.
The agreement could be signed on Friday, while plans are being made for President Volodymyr Zelensky to travel to Washington for a meeting with President Trump, according to one of the Ukrainian officials.
Another official stated that the agreement would provide an opportunity for both leaders to discuss ongoing military aid for Ukraine, emphasizing Kyiv’s need to finalize the deal. According to one official, some technical details are still being worked out.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump said he had heard that President Zelensky would be visiting Washington. He added, “I’m okay if he wants to sign any agreement.”
President Trump called it a major deal, stating that it could be worth one trillion dollars. “It may be general, but it’s about rare minerals and other things,” he said.
However, the framework does not include a controversial proposal by President Trump’s administration to give the United States rare Ukrainian minerals worth $500 billion as compensation for assistance in Kyiv’s war effort.
Instead, the U.S. and Ukraine would jointly own a fund where Ukraine would contribute 50% of future revenues from state resources, including minerals, oil, and gas, according to the officials.
The agreement, however, does not include security guarantees. One official said that both presidents would discuss this issue when they meet.
Progress in negotiating the deal comes after President Trump and President Zelensky exchanged sharp rhetoric last week regarding their differences on the issue.
President Zelensky said he did not agree to sign a deal proposed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit to Kyiv earlier this month. He said he had opposed signing it a few days later during a meeting in Munich with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, as the American proposal did not include security guarantees.
President Trump later called Zelensky “a dictator without elections” while claiming that his support among voters had drastically declined.
But both sides made significant progress during the three-day visit to Ukraine last week by retired General Keith Kellogg, President Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
The idea was initially proposed last fall by President Zelensky as part of his plan to strengthen Kyiv in future negotiations with Moscow.
