U.S.-Ukraine negotiations over a proposed minerals deal stalled Friday amid heated disagreements over the Trump administration’s expansive demands, including control of a key Russian gas pipeline and privileged access to Ukraine’s critical mineral reserves, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Key Sticking Points:
- 💰 U.S. Demands:
- Privileged rights to Ukraine’s rare earths, lithium, and other strategic minerals.
- Creation of a joint investment fund capturing revenue from Ukrainian state/private mining firms.
- Control of Gazprom’s Ukraine-EU gas pipeline via the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine’s Pushback:
- No U.S. security guarantees in exchange for resource access—a non-starter for Zelensky.
- Terms deemed “maximalist” and “antagonistic” by Kyiv’s team.
Why It Matters:
- Resource Race: Ukraine holds vast deposits of rare earths and lithium—critical for U.S. tech and defense supply chains.
- War Leverage: Trump frames the deal as compensation for $113B+ in military aid, but Kyiv wants security commitments.
- Pipeline Gambit: U.S. demand for Gazprom’s transit route could escalate tensions with Russia.
What’s Next?
- April 25 Deadline: Ukrainian PM Shmyhal and Finance Minister Marchenko will attend IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington, where talks may resume.
- Zelensky’s Red Line: Any deal must be “profitable for both” and fund Ukraine’s post-war rebuild.
- Fallback Options: If talks fail, the U.S. may tighten aid conditions, while Ukraine courts EU investors
US-Ukraine Mineral Talks Turn Tense as Trump’s ‘Maximalist’ Demands Stall Deal