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President Trump had insisted he wanted “payback” for past aid, shifting America’s three-year alliance with Ukraine to a mercantile footing.
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Feb. 25, 2025Updated 5:14 p.m. ET
Ukraine has agreed to turn over the revenue from some of its mineral resources to the United States, an American and a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday, in a deal that follows an intense pressure campaign from President Trump that included insults and threats.
The final terms of the deal were unknown, and it was not immediately clear what, if anything, Ukraine would receive in return after days of difficult, sometimes tense negotiations. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had repeatedly pressed for security guarantees for his country in exchange for mineral rights, as Russia’s war has entered its fourth year.
Previous draft agreements reviewed by The New York Times included no such commitment. Mr. Trump had insisted he wanted “payback” for past military aid to Kyiv, shifting America’s alliance with Ukraine to a nakedly mercantile footing.
A final translated draft of the agreement was sent to Ukraine on Tuesday, according to the American official. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart, the American official said, are expected to sign the agreement first and then Mr. Zelensky is expected to go to Washington for a signing with Mr. Trump. The American and Ukrainian officials insisted in speaking anonymously in order to describe private negotiations.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Zelensky: “I hear that he’s coming on Friday. Certainly, it’s OK with me if he’d like to.”
Mr. Zelensky has been pressing for days to finalize any agreement with Mr. Trump in person. But the Ukrainian leader had rejected at least one other draft of an agreement because it lacked specific U.S. security guarantees and because Mr. Trump was requesting mineral rights worth $500 billion, along with other provisions that Ukraine considered unacceptable.