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Trump says he hopes Ukraine will sign a mineral trade soon

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Zelenskyy resisted previous versions of mineral trade, citing the lack of solid security guarantees in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Ukraine has not signed a long-standing rare earth agreement that it said is important to solidify economic ties between Washington and Kiev and to help Ukraine rebuild its postwar reconstruction.

“Ukraine, led by (President) Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final paper on the extremely important rare earth trade with the US, at least three weeks behind.

Trump also expressed optimism that a broader peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is within reach.

“The overall peace agreement effort between Russia and Ukraine is progressing smoothly. Success appears to be in the future!” he said.

The mineral trade, first announced by Trump in February, grants the US a percentage of revenue from Ukraine’s rare earths, hydrocarbons, oil and natural gas, in exchange for continued security support. The agreement does not include the express military guarantees that Kiev is seeking, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent said it includes an implicit security commitment by giving Washington a vested interest in Ukraine’s stability and sovereignty.
Last week, Trump told reporters that Washington and Kiev are likely to sign the contract by April 24th.

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Zelenskyy has not publicly responded to Trump’s comments about the mineral trade. In his evening speech to the country on April 25th, he focused on separate negotiations with partners, including the United States, on the purchase of the Patriot missile defense system.

“We aim to reach a corresponding agreement with the United States, an agreement on Ukrainian patriots,” Zelensky said. “We are ready to buy the number of patriot systems needed for our country. This is not about charity. We have proposed specific trading options to protect people.”

On the broader issue of peace efforts, Zelensky emphasized the need to immediately halt hostilities.

“We need an unconditional ceasefire,” he said. “The real pressure on Russia is necessary to ensure that they accept America’s proposal to stop the fire and move towards peace, or to accept our proposal. It can truly work and ensure a reliable, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, and a dignified peace and security insurance guarantee.”

The US has not officially released details of Russia-Ukurein peace proposals.

Vice President JD Vance recently said that he would effectively freeze the current frontline and halt active fighting while locking in territorial interests. Supported by several European governments, Ukraine rebutted with broader proposals to tie the relief of sanctions to Russian compliance and to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction.

The Trump administration warned that if neither side immediately accepts the peace deal, the United States could withdraw from its mediator role.

Zelenskyy previously resisted previous iterations of mineral trade and opposed the lack of military security guarantees. But following a brief pause with US aid earlier this year, Kiev signed a memorandum with Washington on April 17, renewing his willingness to move forward.
“First, there was a finalization of the contract text and its signature, and then ratification by parliament,” Ukrainian Economic Minister Yulia Swillidenko wrote on social media. She added that while “many” jobs remained, the document expressed “the desire for Americans to invest in Ukraine, free, sovereign and safe Ukraine along with Ukrainians.”

In addition to creating a mineral agreement that has not yet been realized, the views of Trump and his administration, part of their efforts to promote the end of the Ukrainian War, ensure a reliable alternative to China-controlled rare earths as a national security priority. Ukraine holds some of Europe’s largest untapped reserves of important minerals, including titanium, uranium, lithium and graphite. This helps diversify supply chains that the US still relies heavily on China, dominating the world’s mining and refining operations.

Bessent said last week that the final deal reflects the original framework, namely the 80-page plan.

The early draft of the contract envisaged Ukraine to transfer up to $500 billion worth of mineral assets to the United States to compensate for past and ongoing US aid. However, the current version focuses on profit sharing without retroactively charging Ukraine for previous aid.

As the minerals discussed, Trump’s efforts to mediate a wider ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia have made limited progress.

Ukraine has accepted an unconditional ceasefire proposal from Washington, but Russia has not yet agreed, continuing to demand that Ukraine give up four eastern states, abandon NATO’s desires and ban foreign troops from stationing its territory.

The partial ceasefire, mediated last month, collapsed almost immediately, with both sides denounced each other for the violation.

Trump envoy Steve Witkov met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 25th to negotiate. The Kremlin described the argument as “productive” and said it helped it approach a potential agreement.
On April 18, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that without immediate progress, the United States is ready to “move ahead” from mediation efforts. Reflecting that warning during his trip to India on April 23, Vice President JD Vance announced “a very clear proposal for both Russians and Ukrainians. It’s when they say yes, or when the US is leaving this process.”



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