US-Ukraine technical consultations on minerals deal to start on April 11, deputy PM says
Ukraine will begin technical consultations with the U.S. on the minerals agreement on April 11, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine on April 10.
"I am not in a position to go into any details because the meeting is only tomorrow (April 11), but I will be able to comment tomorrow," Stefanishyna said at a press conference in Brussels.
Kyiv previously announced that a team of Ukrainian negotiators would be dispatched to the U.S. to discuss the agreement this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is open to signing the agreement as long as it ensures equal partnership and respects Ukrainian sovereignty.
The latest version of the Ukraine-U.S. minerals deal reportedly grants the United States extensive control over Ukraine’s natural resources through a joint investment fund.
The agreement has been framed by the Trump administration as vital to Ukraine’s path to peace, yet it offers no specific security commitments in return for access to strategic resources.
A framework version of the agreement was scheduled to be signed during Zelensky’s visit to Washington on February 28. The Ukrainian government approved the draft and designated either First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko or Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha as signatories.
The plan collapsed after a tense Oval Office dispute involving Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Vice President JD Vance. Zelensky left the White House without signing the agreement.
Dominic Culverwell
