Ukraine-US rare earths deal: Bessent unveils next steps
Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Getty Images)
A Ukrainian delegation will visit the United States in the near future to discuss the rare earths agreement between the two countries, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, reports Bloomberg.
Bessent said that a group from Ukraine will come to the United States either at the end of this week or early next week to discuss the proposed agreement on economic cooperation between the two countries.
He added that the Ukrainian side has hired a lawyer and that the agreement is “ready on our side (the US side - ed.).”
“We believe this deal so important for the American people, for the Ukrainian people, and for the peace process,” Bessent added.
US-Ukraine cooperation agreement
Since February, Ukraine and the United States have been discussing the signing of a cooperation agreement, including the rare earths.
The official signing of the document was planned for February 28 during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United States. However, due to an emotional discussion in the Oval Office that day, the agreement was not signed.
On March 25, Zelenskyy said that the United States had offered Ukraine a new subsoil agreement. According to the president, the new document is a full-fledged agreement that will have to be ratified by the Rada.
At the end of March, Bessent confirmed that the United States had prepared a “full-fledged” version of the minerals agreement for Ukraine. At the time, he said that the agreement could be signed in early April.
