US President Donald Trump said tonight that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to come to Washington later this week to sign an agreement with the US on Ukrainian rare earths, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
"Zelensky would like to sign an agreement with me on minerals," the US president told media representatives.
The rare earth deal is strategic in Kiev's plan to win the support of the new US administration in the context of Trump's efforts to achieve a quick end to Russia's war in the neighboring country, Reuters notes.
Trump also told media representatives that peacekeeping forces in some form would be needed in Ukraine if a peaceful settlement is reached agreement.
Earlier, Agence France-Presse and Reuters reported that Ukraine had accepted the terms of Trump's proposed agreement with the United States for its rare earth elements, citing a senior Ukrainian official and two independent sources, respectively.
The deal will not contain any clauses unfavorable to Kiev, AFP said.
"Government officials are working on the details of the agreement (...) We are planning a visit to Washington on Friday to sign it," the Ukrainian representative told Agence France-Presse.
According to him, the Americans have "removed the clauses that do not satisfy" Kiev, and in particular the $500 billion "that the minerals are supposed to bring to the United States."
The agreement is strategically important for Ukraine's attempts to win US support in the context of Trump's drive to achieve a quick end to Russia's war in the neighboring country, Reuters notes.