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
Sheikh Qassem: Resistance is a source of power for Lebanon that must be preserved.
Sheikh Qassem: "Israel" must implement the agreement as Lebanon has already done so, and any new accord would amount to absolving it and opening the door to further attacks.
Sheikh Qassem: We do not wish to assume anyone's role; those accusing us of this must cease their accusations.
Sheikh Qassem: We will recover our lands through national solidarity; Resistance's goal is national liberation, while enemy goal is occupation.
Sheikh Qassem: Protection of sovereignty protects Lebanon. It is in real danger because of US belligerence, greedy Israeli expansion.
Qassem to Lebanese people: We are not asking for support but for us not to be stabbed in the back in the back or for some to serve Israeli interests; government is primary party responsible for [preservation of] sovereignty.
Sheikh Qassem: "Israel" can occupy, but it cannot persist in occupation of our land.
Sheikh Qassem: Intimidation will not change our stance of resistance and steadfastness. We are not advocates of surrender or defeat, and we will never accept it.
Sheikh Qassem: Where does US stand regarding enemy's unjustified assassination of a government worker and other civilian martyrs?
Sheikh Qassem: Is the Lebanese Army's defense of its land and citizens an accusation [leveled against it]? Where does US stand regarding the enemy's killing of civilians and constant destruction?

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

Trump boasts 'lot of minerals' access after Rwanda-DRC peace deal

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

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

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Hi-tech holocaust: Microsoft’s role in Gaza genocide

Microsoft's role in world’s first AI-driven genocide, in Gaza, exposed

  • Technology
  • 28 Oct 2025
Sheikh Naim Qassem speaks during an interview with Al-Manar TV, October 26, 2025 (Screenshot)

Hezbollah ready to face 'Israel' in case of war: Sheikh Naim Qassem

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
The secret cloud deal: Google and Amazon “winking” pact with 'Israel'

With a 'wink', Israeli control over Google, Amazon cloud data exposed

  • Technology
  • 29 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
ap
Politics

Hamas calls on int’l community to act against Israeli settlement plan

In this Nov. 9, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AP)
Economy

Ex-US diplomat says Trump-Xi deal 'tactical retreat', not lasting deal

An unarmed Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, during a test in 2002. (US Air Force)
Politics

JD Vance defends Trump's nuclear test plan as 'crucial for security'

Ultra-Orthodox Jews attend the "million man" protest against military conscription, in occupied al-Quds, October 30, 2025 (AFP)
Politics

Haredi mass rally in al-Quds exposes Zionist regime's growing crisis

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