Ukraine confirms 'preliminary' agreement on mineral resources with U.S.
At least 5 killed in Russian attack amid minerals deal and Washington-Moscow talks
Ukraine said on Wednesday it had reached a "preliminary" deal to hand revenue from some of its mineral resources to the United States, before an expected trip to Washington by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
The deal is central to Ukrainian attempts to ensure strong support from U.S. President Donald Trump as he seeks a quick end to Russia's war in Ukraine, with U.S.-Russian talks that have so far excluded Kyiv set to continue on Thursday.
Trump confirmed Zelenskyy would visit Washington on Friday to sign the agreement on rare earths and other topics, but suggested the United States would not be making far-reaching security guarantees.
Kyiv has been seeking U.S. security guarantees as part of the deal, cast by Trump as a payment for U.S. aid to Kyiv during the war.
"I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond — very much. We're going to have Europe do that," Trump said, without elaborating.
Zelenskyy said the most important thing was that the current draft did not portray Ukraine as a debtor that would have to pay back hundreds of billions of dollars for past military assistance.
"This agreement is part of our larger agreements with the United States. This agreement could be part of future security guarantees… An agreement is an agreement, but we need to understand the broader vision," Zelenskyy said.
"This deal could be a great success or it could pass quietly. And the big success depends on our conversation with President Trump."
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He said it would be a success if the U.S. becomes a provider of security guarantees for Ukraine, which wants protection from future Russian attacks if a peace deal is reached.
In his nightly address on Wednesday, Zelenskyy specified that consistent delivery of U.S. aid to Ukraine would be a key part of the talks.
"For me and for all of us in the world, it is important that American aid is not halted," he said.
No interest in a 'colonial treaty': Ukraine PM
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said Washington would commit to supporting Kyiv's efforts to obtain security guarantees under the finalized deal, but the Americans offered no security pledges of their own.
Shmyhal said Ukraine's government was giving its approval to the agreed wording so that it could be signed. He described it as a "preliminary" agreement.
"After the Ukrainian president and the U.S. president agree on security guarantees, agree on how we tie this preliminary agreement to security guarantees from the United States for our country, in the presence of [both] presidents, a representative of the Ukrainian government will sign this preliminary agreement," he said.
Shmyhal, outlining the agreement in televised comments, said Kyiv would contribute 50 per cent of "all proceeds received from the future monetization of all relevant state-owned natural resource assets and relevant infrastructure."
Those proceeds would go into a fund under the joint control of the U.S. and Ukraine, he said, adding that no decision about the governance of the fund could be taken without Kyiv's agreement.
"Already existing deposits, facilities, licenses and rents are not subject to discussion when creating this fund," he added.
In a comment aimed at calming the fears of worried Ukrainians, Shmyhal said Ukraine would never "sign or consider ... a colonial treaty that did not take into account the interests of the state."
A copy of a draft agreement, seen by Reuters and dated Feb. 25, was titled "Bilateral Agreement Establishing Terms and Conditions for a Reconstruction Investment Fund."
It says: "The Government of the United States of America supports Ukraine's efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace."
While discussions have been taking place on the minerals deal, Washington and Moscow have begun bilateral talks.
Trump has been fiercely critical of Zelenskyy as he upended U.S. policy on the war, calling him a "dictator" and ending a campaign to isolate Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 12, and a Russian-U.S. meeting took place in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18.
Russia's Lavrov rejects idea of post-war peacekeepers
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks on Thursday between Kremlin and American officials in Istanbul would be on resolving bilateral disputes that are part of a wider dialogue the sides see as crucial to ending the Ukraine war.
Lavrov again ruled out "any options" for European peacekeepers being sent to Ukraine, although Trump has said some form of peacekeeping troops are needed in Ukraine if an agreement to end the conflict is struck.
"Nobody has asked us about this," Lavrov said during a visit to Qatar.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is due to hold talks with Trump on Thursday, has said he would be ready to send British troops to Ukraine as part of any postwar peacekeeping force.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke in favour of the concept during talks with Trump on Monday, saying troops could be deployed to ensure that any peace deal was respected. Trump said he accepted the idea and that Putin did too, though the Kremlin later indicated that Russian opposition to it was unchanged.
"This approach, which is being imposed by the Europeans, primarily France, but also the British, is aimed at what I just mentioned: to further fuel the conflict and to stop any attempts to calm it down," Lavrov said.
Lavrov indicated Moscow still wanted full control over four regions it claims as its own in any deal to end the war, despite Ukrainian objections.
In fighting on Wednesday, Russian guided bomb attacks on Ukraine's eastern town of Kostiantynivka killed at least five people and wounded eight, the town's regional Donetsk governor said.
At least three bombs had been used to target the town and its suburbs, the governor said on the Telegram messenger.
"Recently, Russian attacks on civilians in Kostiantynivka have become more frequent and more severe," he added.