Ukraine and the U.S. could sign online a memorandum of intent

18/4/2025 5:53

Ukraine and the U.S. could

sign online a memorandum of intent on Thursday on the minerals

deal currently being negotiated by the two countries, President

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.



President Donald Trump has pushed for a deal that would

allow the United States to have privileged access to Ukraine's

natural resources and critical minerals in what he casts as

repayment for military aid provided by Washington to Ukraine

under the previous presidency of Joe Biden.



The Ukrainian delegation traveled to Washington at the end

of last week for negotiations after the Trump administration

offered a new, more expansive deal. The initial framework

agreement that was agreed to has never been signed.



"This is a memorandum of intent. And we have positive,

constructive intentions," Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv on

Thursday.



He added that the offer to sign the memorandum before

the comprehensive deal, which would require ratification in the

Ukrainian parliament, had come from the U.S. side.



Ukraine's economy minister has said Kyiv and Washington

made



significant progress



while discussing the agreement, and the memorandum is the

first stage to record this.