<\/p>\n
U.S. and Ukrainian officials met on Friday on a U.S. proposal to gain access to Ukraine’s mineral wealth, a source with knowledge of the matter said, adding that prospects for a breakthrough were scant given the meeting’s “antagonistic” atmosphere.<\/p>\n
The strains in the Washington talks stemmed from the Trump administration’s latest draft proposal, which is more expansive than the original version, the source said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“The negotiating environment is very antagonistic,” the source said, pointing to the “maximalist” draft submitted by the Trump administration last month.<\/p>\n
A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed the discussions, calling them “technical in nature.”<\/p>\n
The latest draft would give the U.S. privileged access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits and require Kyiv to place in a joint investment fund all income from the exploitation of natural resources by Ukrainian state and private firms.<\/p>\n
The proposed deal, however, would not provide U.S. security guarantees to Kyiv – a top priority of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy – for its fight against Russian forces occupying some 20% of its territory.<\/p>\n
The source said that one of the “Easter eggs” found in the document was a U.S. demand that the U.S. government’s International Development Finance Corporation take control of a natural gas pipeline from Russian energy giant Gazprom across Ukraine to Europe.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian government has hired law firm Hogan Lovells as an outside adviser on the minerals deal, the source said.<\/p>\n
Zelenskiy on Wednesday said a minerals deal should be profitable for both countries and could be structured in a way that would help modernize Ukraine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Top Ukrainian officials including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko will be in Washington in two weeks for International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, including a Ukraine-focused ministers’ meeting on April 25, multiple sources familiar with the plans said.<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking a deal covering Ukraine’s minerals, which include prized rare earths, as part of his effort to end the war and as a way to recover billions of dollars in U.S. military assistance to Kyiv.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n
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