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
Iran state TV: Destruction in attack on Keshavarz significant.
Iran state TV: Keshavarz area is entirely residential; Preliminary estimates indicate that two drones struck student dorm.
Iran state TV: Casualties reported in Israeli drone strike on Tehran's Keshavarz Blvd.
Qatari PM: "Israel's" violations could drag region to war.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: US, British, and Israeli air defenses worked to intercept last missile launch from Iran.
Israeli media: Losses of just two nights of strikes are close to 1 billion shekel ($280 million).
Israeli media: Iranian strike targeted power station in Khadera and Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea.
Explosions heard in Tel Aviv
Iran state TV: Ballistic missiles launched from across Iran against "Israel".
Explosions heard in occupied al-Quds.

US ready to sign minerals deal this afternoon, Bessent says

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 30 Apr 2025 23:13
4 Min Read

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US may abandon its mediation role in the war if both sides fail to present "concrete proposals."

Listen
  • x
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaks to reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaks to reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that Washington is prepared to sign a long-anticipated minerals agreement with Ukraine, pending final approval from Kiev.

"Our side is ready to sign. The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes," Bessent told a cabinet meeting led by President Donald Trump. "We're sure that they will reconsider that, and we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are."

The minerals deal, viewed as a cornerstone of Trump's approach to Ukraine, ties future US investment to access to the country's vast mineral reserves, critical for technologies like electric vehicles and advanced weapons systems. Trump has repeatedly insisted that rights to Ukraine's natural resources should be part of the return for over $100 billion in military assistance provided since the start of the war.

Kiev appears to have accepted the agreement as a way to lock in American involvement, especially as Trump moves to reduce US security obligations globally.

Prime Minister Denys Shmygal confirmed on Ukrainian television that the deal is expected to be finalized imminently. "This is truly a good, equal, and beneficial international agreement on joint investments in the development and recovery of Ukraine," he said.

Uneasy partnership

Related News

Ukraine minerals deal no match for China's supply grip: SCMP

US-Kiev mineral deal draft gives Washington control until debt repaid

A senior official from the Ukrainian presidency, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the agreement will establish a 50/50 investment fund and will not be treated as repayment for previous aid. "It ensures the equality of the parties. An investment fund will be created to invest in reconstruction. It is envisaged that there will be contributions from us and the United States," the source said.

Although Trump has rejected Ukraine's NATO ambitions and has shown little interest in providing long-term security guarantees, he has suggested that a US presence at mining sites would serve as a deterrent. "The American presence will, I think, keep a lot of bad actors out of the country or certainly out of the area where we're doing the digging," Trump said.

Read more: Zelensky calls for 'fair' peace without 'rewards' for Putin

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US may abandon its mediation role in the war if both sides fail to present "concrete proposals." Despite pledging to end the war on his first day in office, Trump has made little headway toward achieving a ceasefire.

Reports suggest that Trump has floated the idea of a peace settlement involving Ukrainian territorial concessions, an outcome President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out, especially with regard to Crimea. Nonetheless, Kiev has sought to maintain open channels with Washington, particularly after a tense February 28 meeting in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastised Zelensky for what they called a lack of gratitude.

Conditional support

Zelensky had originally been scheduled to sign the minerals agreement during that visit, but left without doing so following the public confrontation. Trump initially demanded access to $500 billion worth of mineral assets, an amount four times larger than the total US aid to Ukraine since 2022.

Ukraine is estimated to possess around 5% of the world's mineral and rare earth reserves, including some of the largest lithium and graphite deposits in Europe. However, many of these sites remain untapped, and a significant portion of them lie in Russian-occupied territory.

With Russian forces controlling roughly 20% of Ukraine after more than three years of fighting, the minerals deal is emerging as a central pillar of Kiev's strategy to secure postwar investment, even as traditional Western support appears increasingly conditional.

Read more: Russian army says Kursk fully freed from Ukraine

  • mineral deal
  • Russia
  • Ukraine peace talks
  • Ukraine
  • Ukraine war
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Iranian missiles impact Israeli sites in Tel Aviv in 2nd wave

Iran's missiles impact 'strategic' Israeli site in Tel Aviv

  • Politics
  • 14 Jun 2025
Smoke rises after an Iranian ballistic missile directly struck Tel Aviv, Occupied Palestine, June 13, 2025 (AP)

Op. True Promise 3: Iran's ballistic missiles strike Tel Aviv

  • MENA
  • 13 Jun 2025
'Israel' launches major strike against Iran's nuclear program

'Israel' launches massive aggression on Iran

  • MENA
  • 13 Jun 2025
The flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency flies in front of its headquarters during an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP)

Tehran unravels documents exposing secret IAEA-'Israel' collusion

  • Politics
  • 12 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to journalists after a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Iran confirms targeting Haifa oil refinery, vows continued retaliation

An Israeli military working dog searches rubble for survivors in an area hit by a missile fired from Iran, near Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Sunday, June 15, 2025.(AP)
Politics

Ex-Israeli General warns of strategic defeat in war with Iran

Steve Bannon speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP)
Politics

Steve Bannon accuses 'Israel' of pushing US into war with Iran

The Haifa oil refinery burns after being targeted by an Iranian missile, June 15, 2025 (Social Media)
Politics

Iran causes significant damage to Haifa oil refinery, pipelines

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