Earlier this month, the Trump administration presented a rare earth mineral deal to Ukraine, which was subsequently rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The deal, as revealed by sources familiar with the document, aimed to compensate the United States for past aid provided to Kyiv.
The contract, offered by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, proposed that the US would either own or receive 50% of Ukraine's rare earth mineral mining and other natural resource sectors. President Zelensky confirmed the existence of the contract but stated that he declined the offer as it did not align with Ukraine's interests. However, he expressed willingness to continue discussions on the proposal.
According to sources, the document was comprised of nearly three pages of legal language, along with a 13-page appendix detailing the specific locations of various resources that the United States sought to include in the deal. The resources were listed extensively over multiple pages, indicating the specificity of the request.
A third individual in Washington, familiar with the proposed document, corroborated the nature of the deal and mentioned that Secretary Bessent was representing President Donald Trump's perspective on the matter.
It is noteworthy that the compensation sought in the deal was not for future US assistance to Ukraine but rather for previous aid provided by the United States. The rejection of the offer by President Zelensky underscores the importance of aligning such agreements with the interests of the recipient country.
