Ukraine is poised to sign a significant mineral resources agreement with the United States in Washington on Wednesday, according to two senior Ukrainian officials who requested not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is in Washington to finalize the technical details of the agreement, which has been under negotiation for some time.
While it remains unclear if the Trump administration is ready to finalize the deal, it has been reported that the former president is keen on acquiring Ukraine’s rare earth elements as part of continued U.S. support amid Ukraine’s ongoing war against Russia, which has lasted over three years.
Before the Washington meeting, the Ukrainian Cabinet is expected to approve the agreement’s text, which will then be signed by an authorized government representative.
Following the signing, the deal will still require ratification from the Ukrainian parliament before becoming effective.
Multiple documents are involved in this agreement—including a primary accord and at least two technical agreements that will set the structure and operational guidelines for a joint fund.
One of the senior Ukrainian officials indicated that both sides are generally satisfied with the progress made in negotiations.
As discussions evolved, Ukraine introduced new provisions to mitigate the earlier concerns that the initial U.S. draft, presented in March, disproportionately benefited American interests.
The negotiations have made steady progress, and one industry official closely monitoring the talks noted that additional specifics have been added to the agreement beyond mere declarations.
On the ground in Ukraine, however, the situation remains dire.
A nighttime drone attack by Russian forces on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, resulted in at least 45 civilian injuries, officials reported.
Additionally, the United Nations has indicated a troubling spike in Ukrainian civilian casualties amid the intensifying conflict, coinciding with Washington’s attempts to broker a peace agreement.
In Moscow, a senior Kremlin official remarked that achieving a deal to conclude the Russia-Ukraine war is a complex task that cannot be rushed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov conveyed that while President Vladimir Putin supports calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations commence, several key questions and details must be resolved first.
Peskov elaborated that the complexities of the Ukrainian crisis require careful consideration before any settlement can be achieved.
U.S. President Donald Trump, apprehensive over the sluggish pace of negotiations, has previously stated that he could end the war within the first 24 hours of his new administration set to begin in January.
Western European leaders have accused Putin of intentionally stalling talks in order to facilitate further territorial gains during the conflict, which has resulted in nearly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory being seized since Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Trump has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for actions he believes are prolonging what he refers to as a ‘killing field.’
Notably, the U.S. leader has also rebuked Putin for complicating negotiations with what he termed ‘very bad timing’ by launching strikes against Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv.
As pressure mounts, U.S. officials have cautioned that they might abandon peace efforts if no progress occurs, which could threaten substantial military assistance to Ukraine and lead to increased sanctions on Russia.
In a bid to expedite negotiations, the U.S. State Department has called on both parties to present concrete proposals to resolve the conflict.
Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the urgency for both sides to outline their proposed steps toward ending the war.
Bruce remarked that the next steps are now the prerogative of the president, adding that failure to reach progress could result in the U.S. stepping back from its mediation role in the conflict.
In response to these developments, Russia has effectively dismissed a U.S. proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, instead tying it to a cessation of Ukraine’s mobilization efforts and halting Western arms supplies to Kyiv.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed during a briefing in Rio de Janeiro that Ukraine’s newfound demand for an unconditional truce arises from its military setbacks on the battlefield, where Russian forces maintain a significant advantage.
Lavrov suggested that Ukraine’s calls for a ceasefire lack credibility, reflecting ongoing mutual accusations between both sides regarding violations of previous truces.
The verification of claims made on the battlefield remains challenging.
To highlight the humanitarian cost of the conflict, the U.N. reported that Ukrainian civilian casualties have surged, with data indicating a significant increase in the early months of the year.
Between January and March, the U.N. verified 2,641 civilian casualties, representing almost a 900-person increase compared to the same timeframe the previous year.
Furthermore, reports indicate that civilian casualties had risen by 46% from April 1-24 of this year compared to the same weeks in 2024.
The Ukrainian air force reported a Russian offensive involving the deployment of 108 Shahed and decoy drones targeting cities such as Dnipro and Kharkiv.
In a retaliatory move, the Ukrainian Security Service claimed that its drones targeted the Murom Instrument Engineering Plant in Russia’s Vladimir region overnight, leading to five explosions and a fire.
The facility, located east of Moscow, is responsible for producing ammunition ignition devices and components for Russia’s military aviation and navy.
Due to the nature of the conflict, independent verification of these claims was not possible.
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