Kyiv and Washington signed a memorandum Thursday paving the way for a full economic deal to develop Ukraine’s critical minerals and rebuild the war-ravaged country, a top Ukrainian official said.
“We are happy to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent,” Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X.
President Donald Trump wants a pact with Ukraine to develop and profit from its vast caches of critical elements and minerals, from lithium to titanium, in what he views as compensation for the billions in aid the U.S. has provided to the war-ravaged country since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Kyiv and Washington have been hashing out the terms of such an agreement for several months and were on the cusp of signing a deal in February — before a remarkably hostile White House meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spectacularly derailed the talks.
