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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that the United States had proposed a new critical mineral agreement in kyiv, which goes far beyond an initial framework, the agreement was drawn up last month, as part of Donald Trump’s efforts to end Ukraine’s invasion by Russia.
Zelenskyy told journalists that he had not yet examined the proposal in full, but said that it did not include increased involvement of the United States in the Ukraine nuclear sector, which Trump suggested last week.
The Ukrainian president described the last American proposal as a “broad full agreement”.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that the Trump administration was looking for new mandates for American access to critical minerals and energy assets in Ukraine and was considering expanding its economic requirements to kyiv to potentially include the ownership of its nuclear energy facilities.
The American president asked for a mineral agreement to recover billions of dollars in military assistance provided in kyiv since the start of Ukraine’s full -fledged invasion by Russia in early 2022.
Washington has now proposed a mineral agreement that would bypass the stage of the previous framework and would go directly to eliminate the details of who owns and controls a joint investment fund.
Zelenskyy said: “Previously, we had a framework agreement, followed by the development of a complete agreement. Now, the American party has proposed a large agreement immediately.”
A spokesperson for the US Treasury said: “The United States is attached to the rapid end of this vital agreement and the creation of lasting peace for Ukraine and Russia.”
The United States has refused to sign the initial critical mineral agreement after a disastrous break in the White House involving Trump, vice-president JD Vance and Zelenskyy. Washington replied briefly by interrupting military aid and sharing American intelligence with Kyiv.
The agreement of original critical minerals, hammered over two weeks in February, was supposed to pave the way for new discussions on American security guarantees for Ukraine once war with Russia.
The White House argued that security guarantees are inherent in any critical mineral agreement, as Ukraine’s American economic investment would dissuade Russia from attacking again.
kyiv has not fully accepted the argument and required other insurance from the United States, which she has so far not received.
Although many details on the mineral agreement proposed by the United States is not clear, with Ukrainian officials who are addressed to the document of several pages, they were relieved not to demand the transfer of nuclear power plants to the United States.
But the officials fear that their efforts to guarantee a version of the original agreement of the Trump administration can now be lost and replaced by a proposal involving larger economic requests.
A Ukrainian official familiar with the case said Washington had raised the nuclear problem in discussions but did not include it in the new proposal.
They did not exclude her to be one of the future talks related to Trump’s thrust to end the Russian assault in Ukraine.
There was confusion last week after a call between Trump and Zelenskyy after the American president said he had potentially discussed taking control of Ukraine nuclear installations.
Zelenskyy said the two leaders only discussed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine, which is currently under the control of the Russian forces.
