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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected an American proposal to appropriate about 50% of the rights to the minerals of the rare land of his country and try to negotiate better agreement, according to several people familiar with the issue.
The secretary in the United States of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, offered Zelenskyy the agreement during a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, who came after Trump suggested that the United States owed half a bill of dollars of resources of Ukraine in exchange for his aid to the country torn by the war.
Zelenskyy wants the American and European security guarantees to be linked directly to any Agreement on mineral reserves, according to three familiar people with US-UKRAINE negotiations.
He also hopes that other countries, including EU states, be involved in the future exploitation of natural resources.
“We are still talking about,” Zelenskyy said in Munich on Saturday. “I had different dialogues.”
A senior Ukrainian official told Financial Times that kyiv “was trying to negotiate better agreement”.
During his visit to the kyiv presidential office this week, Bessent brought a document according to which Trump wanted Zelenskyy to sign before Bessent returned to Washington, according to five people familiar with the issue.
Addressing journalists before he and Zelenskyy discussed the private agreement for about an hour, Bessent described him as an “economic agreement” with kyiv to “intertwine our savings more”.
Trump administration “would remain at the end [with Kyiv] By increasing our economic commitment “which” would provide a long -term security shield to all Ukrainians “once the Russian war is over, said Bessent.
“When we looked at the details, there was nothing there [about future US security guarantees]”Said another Ukrainian official at the FT.
When asked if it was a bad deal for Ukraine, a third Ukrainian official familiar with the proposal said it was “a Trump agreement”. “It’s about making Trump,” said the manager. “It’s hard.”
The main concern of Ukraine is the lack of link with wider safety guarantees, according to three people who examined the proposal.
Ukrainian officials asked how the agreement would contribute to the long -term security of their country, but it was told that this would guarantee an American presence on Ukrainian soil – a vague answer that left unanswered key, said these people.
Bessent argued that the simple presence of Americans fixing the sites of the mineral deposits would be sufficient to dissuade Moscow.
Another point of collision is the specification of the document that New York is the competence in which differences on mineral rights are resolved, according to two people familiar with the problem.
After their meeting, Zelenskyy told journalists that he would consider the proposal but would sign nothing at that time.
“We will review this document and work quickly to ensure that our teams are reaching an agreement. The United States is our strategic partner and we are committed to finalizing details, “said Zelenskyy at the time.
Bessent said after the meeting that Trump wanted the agreement to be concluded.
“I believe that this document is important from the point of view of President Trump to resolve this conflict [with Russia] As soon as possible, ”he said. “We will provide American assistance guarantees to the inhabitants of Ukraine. I believe it is a very strong signal for Russia about our intentions. »»
Zelenskyy said he wanted to discuss the prospect of an agreement on mineral rights at the Munich security conference, which takes place this weekend.
During a meeting with the US vice-president JD Vance in Munich on Friday, he made a counter-offer that he also discussed with the US legislators on the sidelines of the forum.
On Friday, in a speech in Munich, Zelenskyy said that his legal team would examine the document that Bessent had presented to kyiv to offer advice and suggest potential changes. He described it as a memorandum between the United States and Ukraine, rather than an official security agreement.
Zelenskyy did not sign the agreement because he wants to obtain others, including European nations, involved in the exploitation of minerals, said a European official on meetings.
“They are under intense pressure from Americans on this subject,” said the manager.
The American proposal aligns with a “victory plan” that the Zelenskyy team has been developing since last summer to deepen links with the Trump administration by allowing the United States to access the critical minerals used in the industries high -tech.
Ukraine has precious minerals estimated at several dollars billions, including lithium, titanium and graphite, which are all crucial for making high -tech products. But many of these resources are in areas which are either under Russian occupation, or risked being captured by the advanced forces of the Kremlin, because they are seated near the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
