U.S. Strikes Major Minerals Deal with Ukraine Despite Explosive Trump-Zelensky White House Clash
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The United States and Ukraine have signed a landmark agreement creating the United States–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals in exchange for long-term economic and military support.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the agreement “signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine.”
The fund, announced April 30, will be co-managed by both nations, with each holding 50% voting rights. It will be financed through income from new licenses for critical minerals, oil, and gas projects in Ukraine.
“Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment into our country,” said Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. She added, “These terms will be subject to further discussion.”
President Trump, who has pushed for the deal for months, argued it provides the U.S. a way to recoup support given to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022. “I wanted to be protected,” he said, explaining that the U.S. presence “will keep a lot of bad actors out of the country or certainly out of the area where we’re doing the digging.”
The agreement follows a contentious February meeting at the White House where negotiations briefly collapsed amid a public clash between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Despite the fallout, the deal was revived and finalized after weeks of revisions and political wrangling.
Ukraine emphasized that the fund does not create debt obligations. “The agreement does not mention any debt obligations of Ukraine to the U.S.,” Svyrydenko stated, addressing a major concern in Kyiv. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal added, “Each side will have equal say, and the fund’s profits will be reinvested exclusively in Ukraine.”
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the deal aims to accelerate Ukraine’s recovery while ensuring no state or person who supported Russia’s war effort benefits from reconstruction. “Thanks to President Trump’s tireless efforts to secure a lasting peace, I am glad to announce the signing of today’s historic economic partnership,” Bessent said.
The agreement still requires ratification by Ukraine’s Parliament. Svyrydenko expressed hope that it would be a model for future partnerships, stating, “This is a signal to global players that long-term cooperation with Ukraine is not only possible but reliable.”
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