News Feed

Trump administration presents 'improved' minerals draft to Ukraine after Zelensky's rejection, Axios reports

3 min read
Trump administration presents 'improved' minerals draft to Ukraine after Zelensky's rejection, Axios reports
US President Donald Trump , in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has presented Ukraine with an "improved" draft of a minerals agreement after President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the initial proposal, Axios reported on Feb. 20, citing sources familiar with the matter.

"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.

Following his meeting with Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Zelensky signaled Kyiv's openness to a "strong, beneficial agreement" with the U.S. on investments and security.

"We have proposed the quickest and most constructive way to achieve results," he said.

According to Axios, several of Zelensky's aides encouraged him to sign the updated deal to avoid further tensions with Trump and allow the president to justify continued American support for Ukraine.

The revised draft has reportedly been "significantly improved" to align with Ukrainian law.

Zelensky-Kellogg meeting ends with no joint statements at US request, spokesperson says
The meeting in Kyiv was expected to be followed by a press briefing, but Washington requested that no joint statements be made, Zelensky’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, told reporters.
Article image

Trump previously suggested that new aid shipments could depend on trade deals the U.S. negotiates with Ukraine. On Feb. 3, Trump said he wanted to provide Kyiv with weapons and aid in exchange for "rare earths and other things."

The original U.S. proposal reportedly sought a 50% interest in Ukraine's natural resources, including critical minerals, oil, and gas, as well as stakes in ports and other key infrastructure through a joint investment fund.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered the initial draft to Zelensky during his visit to Kyiv last week. Ukraine's leader said Kyiv is not ready to sign the document as it did not include any security guarantees.

The proposal comes amid growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington, as Trump has made multiple false claims about Ukraine in recent days, including calling Zelensky a "dictator" and accusing him of refusing to hold elections.

Trump's remarks ignore the fact that Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

A Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that Washington had initially sought to condition Ukraine's signing of the memorandum on Zelensky's meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14.

Vance also criticized Zelensky on Feb. 19, calling his public remarks about Trump "counterproductive" after the Ukrainian president dismissed Trump's claim that his support in Ukraine had fallen to 4%, labeling it Russian disinformation.

A Feb. 19 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, marking a five-point increase since December.

Exploitation or opportunity? Ukrainian business sees potential in Trump resource deal — if done right
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
Article image
Avatar
Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

Read more
News Feed
Video

The Kyiv Independent staff documented what it feels like to live and sleep in Kyiv, Ukraine, as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks on the city. Filmed over several weeks in June and July, our journalists take shelter in bathrooms, basements, and parking garages as explosions ring out overhead.

Show More