US wants Ukraine to agree to quick ceasefire with Russia in order to sign minerals deal – Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump seeks to link the proposed US-Ukraine mineral extraction deal to demands for Kyiv to agree to a quick ceasefire with Russia.
Bloomberg reports this, citing sources, as relayed by Censor.NET.
Washington insists that a US-Ukraine agreement on natural resources will only be possible if Kyiv commits to concrete steps toward a ceasefire and negotiations with Moscow.
According to the sources, these additional conditions are the main reason why the economic cooperation agreement has not yet been signed, despite public statements by Trump and Zelenskyy expressing their willingness to do so.
Some sources said that the deal could move forward in the coming days. Others cautioned that the U.S. position could change, as Trump is known for his tendency to change his mind.
Several Trump administration officials have said in recent days that the critical minerals deal is an important component and step toward the US president's plan for peace in Ukraine.
Several European officials have said that they believe Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's ultimate goal of taking over Ukraine has not changed and cannot be trusted. The war will end if Putin stops the invasion, which began just over three years ago.
"The biggest fear in this scenario is that Trump will simply walk away, leaving behind a fragile truce that is unlikely to hold," Bloomberg's sources added.
According to media reports, the delegations of Ukraine and the United States will meet next Tuesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Minerals agreement with the US
As a reminder, Trump has said he wants to sign a $500 billion deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on access to rare earth resources and natural gas in Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees in any potential peace settlement.
President Zelenskyy said that the agreement with the US on minerals would be signed at the ministerial level when ready and subject to guarantees. Currently, this document is not ready to protect Ukraine's interests.
Later, Trump said that Ukraine had undermined the rare earth metals deal. The agreement was needed so that the United States could recover the money spent on supporting Ukraine.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has given to Ukraine an "improved" draft of the minerals agreement that "complies with Ukrainian law."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if the US wants to see specific numbers in the minerals agreement, then according to Ukrainian law, ratification by the Verkhovna Rada will be required.
On 25 February, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on the terms of a deal on minerals, and Kyiv was ready to sign the document.
On February 26, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the signing of a subsoil agreement with the United States.
The agreement was supposed to be signed on February 28 at the White House, but due to a dispute between Trump and Zelenskyy, it did not happen.
