US and Ukraine sign natural resources deal
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The US and Ukraine signed an “economic partnership” deal on Wednesday that will give Washington access to the country’s critical minerals and natural resources, ending weeks of fraught negotiations.
The agreement signed at the US Treasury department will establish a “reconstruction investment fund” for Ukraine that President Donald Trump had insisted on as a way to repay America for its past aid to Kyiv.
It comes as Trump is struggling in his effort to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, which he had pledged to deliver early in his second term as president.
The minerals deal has been a source of huge tension between Washington and Kyiv. It was on the cusp of being agreed before a high-profile spat in the Oval Office of the White House in February between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and only recently did talks get back on track.
This is a developing story
