As we’ve been reporting, a senior official in Kyiv has told the BBC that Ukraine has agreed the terms of a major minerals deal with the US.
We don’t have much detail on that deal yet, but here’s what we do know:
Media reports say Washington has dropped initial demands for a right to $500bn (£395bn) in potential revenue from accessing Ukraine’s natural resources
The same reports suggest the US has not given firm security guarantees to Ukraine – which has been their key demand.
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that in return for the deal, Ukraine would get “the right to fight on”, but didn’t confirm if the US would continue supplying military equipment and ammunition
The US president said he’s expecting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington to sign the deal this week.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, who has led the negotiations, told the Financial Times that the deal is “only part of the picture”
As a reminder, Ukraine holds huge deposits of critical elements and minerals, including lithium and titanium, as well as sizeable coal, gas, oil, and uranium deposits – supplies worth billions of dollars
