Trump: US and Ukraine will sign rare earth agreement soon
Photo: Donald Trump, US president (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump expects the US-Ukraine agreement on rare earth metals to be signed soon, Reuters reports.
Trump made a statement about the agreement with Ukraine during a meeting with his Cabinet.
The US president also added that Washington is discussing with Kyiv the possibility of American companies managing Ukrainian power plants.
Rare earth agreement
Ukraine and the US began discussions on a rare earth metals agreement in February. Since then, both sides have been working on terms that would suit both Kyiv and Washington.
The final version of the document envisions the creation of an investment fund, where Ukraine will direct proceeds from the sale of its rare earth metals, gas, and oil. The US and Ukraine will jointly manage this fund.
The countries were set to sign the agreement at the end of February when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump. However, the meeting did not go as planned — the two leaders had an argument in the Oval Office.
Due to this dispute, the US canceled the signing of the agreement with Ukraine. Nevertheless, Trump continued to express interest in the deal.
US authorities claim that this agreement would allow them to "recoup" the money spent on aid to Ukraine.
