Photo: Maxym Marusenko / NurPhoto via Getty Images
The US-proposed mineral deal with Ukraine includes the possibility of sending troops to ensure the safety of the mining process, NBC News reported, citing four government sources.
The channel's interlocutors also confirmed that the American version of the deal would see the United States receive half of Ukraine's rare earth reserves.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant presented the draft agreement to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kiev on February 12.
On February 14, Zelensky announced that he had "politely declined" to sign the deal. According to a Reuters source, Ukraine had prepared its own version of the agreement and submitted it to the American side.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to receive $500 billion in rare earth metals from Ukraine in exchange for American aid to Kiev. At the same time, Trump stressed that the United States should have access to Ukraine's natural resources, regardless of whether a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is successfully concluded. Zelensky, in turn, said that Ukraine is not averse to mining minerals together with Western partners in exchange for the aid provided.
On February 14, the WSJ published an interview with US Vice President James Vance. In it, Vance did not rule out sending American troops to Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace treaty. However, after the interview was published, Vance said that his words had been misinterpreted. "American forces should never be harmed in a place where they do not serve American interests and security. This is a war between Russia and Ukraine," he said.
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