Ready to sign minerals deal with US: Ukraine

Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement that would give the US access to its valuable rare minerals in the hopes of ensuring continued American support for Kyiv in its grinding war with Russia, senior Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.

- Agencies

KYIV/WASHINGTON/SEOUL: Clinching a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war "is far too complex to be done quickly", a senior Kremlin official said on Wednesday, as the US labors to bring momentum to peace efforts and expresses frustration over the slow progress. US President Donald Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the "bloodbath" of the more than three-year war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin backs calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, "but before it's done, it's necessary to answer a few questions and sort out a few nuances", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin is also ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal, he added.

"We realize that Washington wants to achieve quick progress, but we hope for understanding that the Ukrainian crisis settlement is far too complex to be done quickly," Peskov said on his daily conference call with reporters. "There are many details and an array of small nuances that need to be solved before a settlement."