The US and Ukraine are preparing to sign a resource agreement soon

^{Steve Witkoff Photo: AP / Evan Vucci}
A deal that would give the United States access to Ukraine's mineral resources, including rare earth metals, will be signed this week. This was announced on CNN on Sunday, February 23, by US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

According to The New York Times, Trump and Witkoff have a personal, trusting relationship. The publication recalls that a few weeks ago, Trump secretly expanded Witkoff's authority beyond the Middle East peace process and, despite the fact that retired General Keith Kellogg was appointed his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, he was tasked with opening a channel for negotiations with the Russian leadership on Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with CNN on February 23 that the Ukrainian leader had refused to accept the agreement with Washington as originally drafted, saying that he had been “hesitating about the decision on this issue for a week.” “US President Donald Trump has sent him a message. He is no longer hesitating,” added Steve Witkoff.

In turn, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant said in an interview with Fox News on February 23: “I am waiting for Zelensky to sign a minerals agreement.”

Zelensky on the progress of negotiations on the agreement with the US

Zelensky himself said on the same day that negotiations on the Washington-Kyiv agreement on natural resources were moving forward. “Everything is fine,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

In addition, the Ukrainian president stressed that if the resources agreement is considered in the context of security guarantees, the introduction of US troops into his country is a logical step.

A day earlier, Sky News, citing an anonymous Ukrainian source, reported that from the point of view of Kiev, the proposed US agreement on Ukraine's mineral resources "contains a number of problematic issues." In particular, it contains "only unilateral obligations of Ukraine," which is why Volodymyr Zelensky is not ready to sign the document at this stage, the source said.

Meanwhile, Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said during a speech in Maryland on February 21: "This is the conclusion. President Zelensky will sign this agreement, and you will see it very soon."

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