Kyiv Aims to Wrap Up Talks on Minerals Deal With Washington Within a Week

Kyiv said on April 18 that it aims to complete talks by the end of next week about a deal with Washington on jointly exploiting Ukrainian mineral resources — an agreement Ukrainian officials hope will go some way to firming up softening US support for the country in its war with Russia.

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Though the terms of the eventual deal have not been finalized, Washington has signaled it expects to have privileged access to Ukraine's natural resources as a form of repayment for US military support for the country over the past three years.

Late on April 17, the US and Ukrainian governments signed a memorandum of intent, signaling their intent to finalize the minerals deal.

The memorandum represented a step towards repairing ties between Kyiv and Washington that appeared to be hanging by a thread in February, when an Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned into a shouting match.

According to the text of the memorandum, published on April 18, the aim of both sides is to complete discussions on the final deal by April 26, and to sign it soon after.