Ukraine–United States Mineral Resources Agreement

The proposed Ukraine–United States Mineral Resources Agreement is a framework agreement published on 25 February 2025, establishing terms for joint investment in Ukraine's natural resources including critical rare-earth elements, oil, and gas and reconstruction efforts. On 25 February, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that the two countries had reached a preliminary agreement to strengthen economic cooperation and attract investments for Ukraine's recovery from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War. President Trump has insisted on a resources agreement as a condition for continued support, framing it as a means for Ukraine to "pay back" the substantial U.S. aid provided during the conflict.
On 28 February 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House in Washington with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office to sign the agreement. The meeting ended abruptly and the Resources Agreement was not signed.
According to The Guardian, on 2 March, Zelenskyy said that the "deal on minerals was now ready to be signed."
Towards the end of Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress on 4 March, Trump sent a message to President Zelensky that the New York Times described as "conciliatory".
In September 2024, President Zelenskyy proposed U.S. participation in developing Ukraine's natural resources in exchange for continued support in countering Russian aggression. Ukraine possesses significant deposits of minerals, including lithium, graphite, manganese, and titanium ore. Many of these resources remain unexploited, while some deposits are located in territories occupied by Russia.
On 16 October 2024, Zelenskyy put forth his proposed План перемоги ("victory plan") to the Ukrainian parliament—Verkhovna Rada which outlined strategies to strengthen Ukraine, and potentially end the conflict with Russia. This included a "special agreement on joint investment and use" of Ukraine's natural resources—such as uranium, titanium, and lithium—with the European Union and the United States. The plan also included a renewed request for inclusion in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a robust post-war security framework. The defense aspect of the proposal included assistance in detering Russian aggression. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu—under instruction from French President Emmanuel Macron —entered into bilateral discussion with Ukraine on the country's rare earth minerals in October 2024 for the French defense industry.
Following the November election, Trump began demanding US$500 billion as compensation from Ukraine to pay back U.S. aid during the war. Zelenskyy said that this would amount to "selling" Ukraine. Trump replied by saying Zelenskyy was "a dictator".
On 3 February 2025, Trump said that continual support from the United States would be conditional on the acquisition of Ukraine's rare minerals. However, this condition was later excluded from the agreement.
During his 24 February 2025, Oval Office meeting with President Macron, Trump "incorrectly" complained that the United States had contributed US$350 billion which was a much larger contribution than that of the European Union. Macron sought security guarantees from the Trump administration if a ceasefire with Russia is realized. The Congressional Research Service said that from 2022 to 2024, the appropriation was US$182 billion. Trump's demand for the resources agreement, is a way for Ukraine to "pay back" the U.S. aid already provided to Ukraine and is a condition of any ongoing support. On 24 February, Trump said that they were close to an agreement "where we get our money back over a period of time."
The agreement stipulated the establishment of a jointly-owned and managed Reconstruction Investment Fund to foster lasting peace and economic security in Ukraine; Ukraine's contribution of 50% of future revenue from "Government-owned natural resource assets"; and the United States' long-term financial commitment to Ukraine's economic stability.
According to a 27 February The Kyiv Independent article, French Defense Minister Lecornu had been in talks with Ukraine since the fall of 2024 on Ukraine's rare earth minerals, following Zelenskyy's 16 October 2024, victory plan proposal. Cornu clarified that it was not Trump, but Zelensky and his team who had introduced the issue of the potential of transactional opportunities of natural resources.
A draft of the 25 February proposal entitled "Bilateral Agreement Establishing Terms and Conditions for a Reconstruction Investment Fund" published by CNN, did not provide explicit future security guarantees to Ukraine. Zelenskyy described it as a framework for the 28 February in-person meeting in Washington. The draft proposed a joint-ownership Reconstruction Investment Fund.
The 25 February draft agreement—as reported by Reuters—indicated that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha were designated to sign the document.
For Zelensky, the main objective for the 28 February 2025, Oval Office meeting to "discuss the deal and a possible inclusion of security guarantees", according to The Kyiv Independent. with Trump was to call on him to not abandon Ukraine, and to caution him against becoming too close to President Putin. The meeting began well but when Zelenskyy said that Putin was not trustworthy and had previously broken promises to end fighting, Vance rebuked him. Trump said that Putin had never broken an agreement with him. Trump accused Zelenskyy of "killing a very large number of people", "gambling with World War III" and being "very disrespectful to the country, this country that's backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have", and the Ukrainian delegation was asked to leave the White House. With the abrupt ending of the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, the agreement was not signed.
On 2 March Zelenskyy told the British media that he believes the relationship between the United States and Ukraine can be restored, and that he will sign the mineral resources deal.
Trump's message to Ukraine in his 4 March, speech to a joint session of Congress was described as "conciliatory" by the New York Times.
In response to the Oval Office meeting, on 2 March, Zelenskyy met with fourteen leaders of European Union nations, the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Mark Rutte, the Secretary general of NATO at the 2025 London Summit to secure guarantees to Ukraine and to create a Ukraine peace proposal to present to the United States. Le Monde described the Summit as "eighteen allies" coming together "after Trump berated his Ukrainian counterpart in an unprecedented White House blow-up."
Starmer called for a "coalition of the willing" to defend Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also met with Charles III. Before leaving London on 2 March, at the end of the summit, Zelenskyy spoke to reporters in Ukrainian saying that the "deal on minerals was now ready to be signed." He declined to comment on the Oval Office meeting saying it was best "to leave this to history."