Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Drone explodes in Route 90 in Arraba after interception attempts failed.
Israeli media: A wave of drones since morning, with 10 drones infiltrating so far.
Israeli media: Drone still flying in Wadi Araba near Ramon Airport, south of Occupied Palestine, efforts to intercept it have failed.
Israeli media: Direct hit from drone on building in Beit She'an.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Beit She'an in Jordan Valley, amid fears of drone infiltration, explosions heard.
Mansouri: Iran's defensive capabilities far exceeded Israeli entity's expectations.
Mansouri: With regards to Iran's territorial integrity, any aggression promotes internal unity, national solidarity against aggresors.
Head of Iran's reform front Azar Mansouri: Netanyahu was deluded to think the Iranian people would lay out the red carpet for him.
Iran Health Minister: Three hospitals, six ambulances damaged by Israeli aggression, two medical personnel martyred.
IRGC: 5 IRGC personnel martyred in Khorram Abad, Lorestan, in Israeli aggression this morning.

Trump admin. prepares first military equipment sale to Ukraine

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 2 May 2025 19:46
4 Min Read

The US administration is set to approve $50 million in arms exports to Ukraine following the signing of the minerals deal.

Listen
  • x
  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and President Donald Trump, talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, April 26, 2025 (AP)
    President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and President Donald Trump, talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, April 26, 2025 (AP)

The Trump administration is preparing to approve its first sale of military equipment to Ukraine since Donald Trump took office, signaling that the recently signed minerals deal between the two countries may lead to renewed weapons shipments, according to The Guardian.

The State Department has approved a proposed license to export defense hardware and services worth "$50 million or more" (£37.6 million) to Ukraine, as detailed in a communication sent to the US Committee on Foreign Relations. This marks the first authorization of this kind since President Trump suspended all military aid to Ukraine shortly after taking office.

Zelensky links minerals pact to Vatican meeting with Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Thursday evening that the recently signed minerals deal, which included significantly more favorable terms for Ukraine than initially anticipated, came as a direct result of his meeting with Donald Trump during the pope's funeral last Saturday, according to his remarks.

“Now we have the first result of the Vatican meeting, which makes it really historic. We are waiting for other results of the meeting,” Zelensky said in a video address. He hailed the agreement as "truly equal" and said that it created a significant investment opportunity in Ukraine.

“There is no direct link where it’s written that ‘you will receive these particular weapons’, but it opens the possibility for parallel talks on the purchase of weapons,” Zelensky aide Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview, adding that the United States is now open to such discussions.

Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent formally signed the agreement during a ceremony in Washington on Wednesday.

Ratification within seven days

Senior US officials briefing reporters expressed confidence that Ukraine's parliament would complete ratification of the agreement within seven days, noting that the deal establishes a bilateral fund financed through revenue from newly issued licenses for extracting critical minerals, oil, and gas deposits located in Ukrainian territory, as outlined in the agreement's terms.

The final document emerged after nearly three months of intense negotiations, during which the initial outline, brought to Kiev by Bessent, was dismissed by Zelensky, who deemed it excessively punitive and unacceptable to sign.

A subsequent signing ceremony was scheduled to take place at the White House last February, but it fell apart when Trump and JD Vance confronted Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, leading to a sudden breakdown in discussions and resulting in the Ukrainian president being escorted out.

US negotiation tactics and future weapon requests

When questioned about how Kiev had managed to secure better terms in the minerals deal, Podolyak explained that the real negotiations had unfolded in a manner starkly contrasting with some of Trump’s more aggressive public remarks.

“That’s just the style of this [US] administration; it’s very aggressive with communications. They will allow leaks of the most horrible conditions and so on, but then in reality they negotiate normally and you can achieve a result,” he explained, adding that “they just use this aggression to try to improve their starting position."

Podolyak noted that since the US would now require payment for supplied weapons, Kiev would have to be more strategic in determining which requests to make.

“I think fairly quickly we will understand which types of weapons to carefully select the unique weapons the US has. Because if we can produce our own drones, for example, then we will do that here. But there are some critical weapon types which only the US produces and nobody else,” he noted.

It was not immediately clear what weapons or services the more modest $50 million now on the table referred to. The State Department is required to notify Congress of significant sales of armaments and military services under the Arms Export Control Act.

Approval was requested for a direct commercial sale, a process that permits US defense contractors to transfer military equipment or services to a foreign entity under a State Department-issued license, with the Kiev Post being the first to break the news of this proposed transaction.

Related News

Japan cancels US security talks over defense spending demands

Trump enforces mass VOA layoffs, 600 employees terminated

  • United States
  • United States-Ukraine minerals deal
  • Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Ukraine
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Bin Salman: Islamic world backs Iran in call to Pezeshkian

MBS says Islamic world backs Iran in call with Pezeshkian

  • MENA
  • 15 Jun 2025
Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

  • MENA
  • 17 Jun 2025
Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)

Wave 12 of Operation True Promise 3 launched, Sejjil deployed: IRGC

  • Politics
  • 18 Jun 2025
Iran launches missile barrage to Tel Aviv, casualties reported

True Promise 3, wave 14: Tel Aviv targeted, casualties reported

  • Politics
  • 19 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A motorcycle is on fire after an Israeli drone strike targeted it in the southern Lebanese village of Baraachit, June 20, 2025 (Social media)
Politics

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon lead to casualty, martyr

An Israeli military vehicle before it was targeted in Operation Breaking the Sword in Gaza, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)
Politics

Gaza Resistance pounds invading Israeli forces in joint operations

Israeli occupation forces and emergency teams work next to an unpopulated building after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Haifa, occupied Palestine, Friday, June 20, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran bombs Israeli Interior Ministry in tit-for-tat response

A man is evacuated by an Israeli emergency team after a missile from Iran hits in Haifa, Israel, Friday, June 20, 2025 (AP)
Politics

1,217 injured in 'Israel' from Iran retaliation amid rising tensions

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS