The Prime Minister of Ukraine will visit Washington next week for discussions with senior US officials, aiming to finalise a long-delayed minerals and resources agreement by April 26, according to a memorandum released on Friday.
Kyiv and Washington had initially planned to sign the deal on extracting Ukraine’s strategic minerals weeks ago, but the talks were temporarily derailed after a confrontation between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Trump has insisted that the agreement — which would grant the US royalty payments from profits made from Ukrainian mining of resources and rare minerals — serve as compensation for the aid provided to Ukraine by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
A one-page “memorandum of intent” signed by both nations outlines that the two sides “aim” to finalise discussions by April 26, with the goal of signing the final deal “as soon as possible.”
“Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal will visit Washington, DC, during the week of April 21, 2025, to meet with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and offer high-level support to the conclusion of technical discussions,” the Ukrainian government’s document, published on Friday, states.
“Negotiating teams are expected to provide an update on progress by April 26, 2025, with the aim of completing discussions by that date and signing as soon as possible,” it continued.
US officials have emphasised that bolstering American business interests in Ukraine will help deter Russia from future aggression should a ceasefire take hold.
Kyiv, however, is seeking concrete military and security guarantees as part of any agreement to end the three-year conflict.
