US wants to get 50% of Ukrainian minerals, may deploy its troops to guard them, NBC reports
The U.S. seeks to obtain 50% of Ukraine's rare minerals and has signaled openness to deploy American troops to guard them if there is a deal with Russia to end the war, NBC reported on Feb. 15, citing unnamed American officials.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a draft of the agreement to President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv on Feb. 12.
Zelensky refused to sign the agreement after Bessent's presentation, saying he needed to study it and consult with others, NBC reported, citing eight U.S. officials briefed on the meeting.
At the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said on Feb. 14 that his lawyers would examine the document handed over by Bessent in Kyiv and make some changes to it. He called the U.S. proposal "a memorandum," not a security agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to broker a swift peace deal to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Following up on his earlier proposition of ensuring U.S. support for Ukraine in exchange for rare earth minerals, Trump claimed that Kyiv has "essentially agreed" to a deal on a $500 billion resource deal.
Ukraine has already signaled it is open to developing a partnership in resource extraction with the U.S. and other partners in exchange for security guarantees, but details on such a deal remain murky.
