Ukraine and US hold talks on minerals all night – Axios
Pravda Ukraine
US and Ukrainian officials have been negotiating an agreement on Ukrainian mineral resources throughout the night until Friday morning.
Source: Axios, citing sources familiar with the matter, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Trump administration officials and some representatives of the Ukrainian government are pressuring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal.
The sources said that the decision is now up to Zelenskyy. They both expressed concern that the US-Ukraine crisis could deepen if he rejects the offer. The US official called it a crucial moment for Ukrainians.
Zelenskyy rejected an initial US offer presented by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv that would have given the US 50% of all production revenues. Zelenskyy had concerns about some provisions of the deal and that it did not include any security guarantees for Ukraine.
Earlier this week, the US side came back with an “improved” proposal and has now made additional changes. The exact terms of the current US offer are not known.
The Trump administration sent the latest version of the subsoil deal to Ukraine on Thursday evening, a US official involved in the negotiations and a source with direct access to the information told the publication.
The US official said that the amended version of the agreement is aimed at “fixing the situation” between the US and Ukraine. He reports that Trump authorised a member of the US government – not Bessent – to make the new proposal.
Background:
- US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, who remains in Kyiv, wrote on X (Twitter) on Friday that he had a “long and busy day with Ukraine’s senior leadership”, describing “extensive and positive discussions” with Zelenskyy. He called Zelenskyy “an embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war”.
- The words used by Kellogg are in stark contrast to Trump’s characterisation of Zelenskyy, who called him an “unelected dictator“.
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