The U.S. first raised the prospect of shutting off Starlink service after Zelensky rejected the deal presented on Feb. 12. Starlink terminals are critical in securing Ukraine's battlefield communications.
"I think (the Ukrainians) want it. They feel good about it, and it's a significant — it's a big deal, but they want it, and it keeps us in that country, and they're very happy about it."
Ukrainian and U.S. officials negotiated a mineral deal all night into the morning on Feb. 21 amid a rift between the two nations over the agreement, Axios reported.
"President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term," U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said.
"This is a negotiation. And in a negotiation, you negotiate. Ukraine wants to negotiate minerals, so we're talking about it," a White House official was quoted as saying.
Within weeks of U.S. President Donald Trump saying he wanted to do a deal with Kyiv on its “rare earths and other things,” it became clear the U.S. wasn’t just interested in Ukraine’s critical minerals and rare earth elements. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited
"They need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal," U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News.
The sources told Reuters that Trump wants to make a deal before potentially authorizing more U.S. military aid for Kyiv or moving forward with an attempt to broker formal Ukraine-Russia peace talks.
"I think I’m gonna resurrect that deal, you know, we'll see what happens, but I’m gonna resurrect it or things are gonna not make him (President Volodymyr Zelensky) too happy," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
The following is the Feb. 18, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Ukraine's natural resources — We'll take them all please It all seemed to be going swimmingly at first. President
"We, the people of Ukraine, (provided) $120 billion, the U.S. and the EU — $200 billion. We are talking about arms, this is a weapons package worth $320 billion," President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference in Kyiv.
"Ukraine is ready for investment, provided that the occupied territories are liberated and natural resources are protected," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The U.S. delegates in Munich did not offer any security guarantees in exchange for Ukraine's rare earth minerals, current and former senior Ukrainian officials said.
Key developments on Feb. 15-16: * US wants to get 50% of Ukrainian minerals, may deploy its troops to guard them, NBC reports * Almost 250,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine war, Zelensky says * Russia must withdraw to at least pre-2022 front line, Zelensky says * Europe quietly developing plan to send
Ukraine is not yet ready to sign a mineral resource agreement with the United States, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference at the Munich Security Conference, stating that the agreement "was not ready to protect" Ukraine and its interests.
President Volodymyr Zelensky hasn't yet signed the document, calling it "a memorandum," not a security agreement.
The draft memorandum is part of broader discussions on a potential minerals agreement, which Trump has suggested could involve access to Ukraine's mineral reserves in exchange for continued military and financial support.
The postponement comes as the U.S. considers a proposed minerals agreement that could link future aid to Ukraine with access to its rare earth mineral reserves.
The European Business Association (EBA) urged the Ukrainian government to declassify its information on mineral deposit data, in a statement on Feb. 13.
On Feb. 10, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that he aimed to secure “$500 billion worth of rare earth” minerals as part of negotiations over continued U.S. support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia. When history repeats itself, it’s time to reflect. At the beginning
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Feb. 12.
The following is the Feb. 11, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Ukraine’s steel industry — one of its most critical sectors — just can’t seem to catch a break
"As for President Trump, he said he was waiting for me in Washington. And we are very much looking forward to our teams agreeing on the dates and other details for a meeting in the U.S.," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will visit Ukraine this week to discuss a potential deal between Kyiv and Washington on critical minerals, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 11, citing undisclosed sources.
"They (Ukraine) may make a deal. They may not make a deal... But we’re going to have all this money in (Ukraine) and I say, I want it back," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
The following is the Feb. 4, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. President Donald Trump came out on Feb. 3 saying he wanted to make a deal with Ukraine by
President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed in an interview with Reuters on Feb. 7 that Ukraine was not offering to "give away" its resources but seeking a mutually beneficial partnership.
"The presence of big business from our closest allies, particularly the United States, in this area is an important element of security and economic stability guarantees," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
President Donald Trump declared on Feb. 3 that he was looking to "do a deal with Ukraine" by giving the war-torn country weapons and aid in return for its "rare earths." "They're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things," Trump told reporters in
"We are open to the idea that mineral resources can be developed with our partners who help us protect our land," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly stressed that Ukraine should first be helped to "get back on its feet" and that its resources should be used for its reconstruction after the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to have Ukraine supply the U.S. with rare earths as a condition for aid for the war-torn country. "We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things,
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