U.S. officials at the Munich Security Conference reportedly pressured Ukraine to sign a one-sided mineral resources agreement, threatening to cancel a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance if Kyiv refused.
Citing anonymous sources, Ukrainian news outlet European Pravda reported that the meeting’s unexpected postponement was tied to Washington’s insistence on Ukraine agreeing to a “mineral resources for aid” deal.
The draft was part of a broader proposal made by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month, which would grant the U.S. significant access to Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals and other critical resources in exchange for financial and military aid.
Sources revealed that American officials were unwilling to negotiate terms and rejected Ukraine’s revised version of the agreement.
According to reports, U.S. officials demanded Ukraine either accept the deal as it stood or forgo the meeting with Vance, which was contingent on signing the agreement.
However, after Ukraine rejected the terms, pressure from the U.S. subsided, and the meeting between Zelenskyy and Vance took place as scheduled.
On Monday, Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump’s administration proposed giving the U.S. a 50% stake in Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals but said he instructed his ministers not to sign the deal. Zelenskyy criticized the proposal for being overly focused on U.S. interests and offering no security guarantees to Ukraine.
“We are not just a raw material country, and this must be clearly stated in the document,” Zelenskyy said.
The draft was part of a broader proposal made by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month, which would grant the U.S. significant access to Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals and other critical resources in exchange for financial and military aid.
Sources revealed that American officials were unwilling to negotiate terms and rejected Ukraine’s revised version of the agreement.
According to reports, U.S. officials demanded Ukraine either accept the deal as it stood or forgo the meeting with Vance, which was contingent on signing the agreement.
However, after Ukraine rejected the terms, pressure from the U.S. subsided, and the meeting between Zelenskyy and Vance took place as scheduled.
On Monday, Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump’s administration proposed giving the U.S. a 50% stake in Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals but said he instructed his ministers not to sign the deal. Zelenskyy criticized the proposal for being overly focused on U.S. interests and offering no security guarantees to Ukraine.
“We are not just a raw material country, and this must be clearly stated in the document,” Zelenskyy said.
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