US and Ukraine close to an agreement on minerals as compensation for military aid: 'You will see that in the very short term'

Negotiations between the United States and Ukraine are in their final stages for a deal that will grant Washington access to Ukrainian strategic minerals as compensation for military assistance in the war against Russia.

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz confirmed that the pact will be announced in the coming days. "Here’s the bottom line: President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term," he stated at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

A crucial step in the bilateral alliance

The signing of the agreement has been a priority for Washington, which has insisted to Kiev to finalize it as part of the economic commitments derived from the military support provided in the conflict with Russia.

Sources close to the negotiations say that President Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted the terms of a revised version of the agreement recently presented by the Trump administration, after weeks of deliberations. Although details of the modifications have not been disclosed, the changes were key to unlocking disagreements on benefit sharing and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Negotiation tensions and adjustments

Initially, Zelensky rejected a proposal that gave the United States a 50% share of revenues from a project to exploit key resources such as aluminum, gallium and titanium, critical for advanced technologies and military applications. In response, Washington reformulated the offer to achieve a more equitable split.

According to Waltz, the Ukrainian leader's initial refusal generated frustration among senior U.S. officials, adding tension to the bilateral relationship.