Ukraine is sending a team to the US next week to discuss a new draft for a Mineral deal between the two countries.
Negotiations for the Mineral deal have been strained since February, when the plan was derailed following a controversial meeting in the Oval Office between President Zelenskyy, President Trump and Vice President Vance.
The delegation from Ukraine will include representatives from the Ministries of Economy, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Finance.
Rothschild & Co have maintained their relationship with Ukraine and continue to provide financial advice to the Ministry of Finance.
In late February, the draft of the Mineral deal was leaked by Ukrainian lawmakers. The language of this draft would effectively strip Ukraine of control of its own precious resources and infrastructure.
Ukraine's silver resources have been largely suppressed by USGS who has been conducting surveys of resources in the country. A map sourced from the Ukrainian government website shows significant deposits of both gold and silver, as well as more than 20 minerals deems critical by the US.
Ukrainian officials cite the deal as a significant push towards solidifying the favor of President Trump and reinforcing US backing for their war efforts.
Recently US sent a new draft to Ukraine, which is reported to go further than the original framework, but no leaks of this new draft have surfaced yet and Ukrainian lawmakers have stressed to the press that this is not the final draft, as it only reflects the US Treasury's position.
Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko stressed, "It’s clear that the full parameters of this agreement can’t be discussed online. We need to sit down with the teams and continue the conversation in person.”
“This marks a new stage in relations with the United States — one that requires expertise across multiple areas,” she said. “Ultimately, everything will be decided through the course of negotiations.”
Svyrydenko has declined to elaborate publicly on Ukraine's position.
This Isn’t Just Business — It’s Geopolitics
This deal didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s part of a larger play:
● Ukraine’s economy is devastated.
● The U.S. wants long-term ROI for its war support.
● The West is scrambling to reduce dependency on China for critical minerals, especially for Defense.
Put all that together, and you’ve got the makings of a 21st-century resource pact. Except this time, it’s dressed in “reconstruction” language and wrapped in bilateral cooperation language, but make no mistake this is colonial style exploitation.
But Ukrainian officials aren’t naïve. Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko made it clear: this deal “reflects only one side’s position.” They’re coming to D.C. with legal and technical teams to renegotiate red lines and governance rules.
Why the urgency? Because Ukraine wants to sign something. They need Western backing not just for weapons, but for long-term financial survival. But they're trying to avoid setting a precedent where postwar Ukraine becomes a client state, handing over its mineral future to foreign capital under the guise of help.
This is especially sensitive since Ukraine still aims to join the EU, and this fund deal cannot conflict with its obligations to European treaties or international creditors. That’s a tall order.
The U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal is about control. About leverage. About what reconstruction means when the bill comes due.
On paper, it’s a partnership. In practice? It’s a tug-of-war over the future of one of Europe’s richest untapped mining economies.
Ukraine wants to rebuild. The U.S. wants reliable access to strategic minerals. The deal might get both what they want—but it might also put Ukraine in a long-term extractive relationship where its mineral wealth props up the US Military Industrial Complex.
