Ukraine and the US signed a memorandum on mineral resources. Trump says there are now more chances for peace
Ukraine and the United States signed a memorandum of agreement on the transfer of access rights to income from the development of Ukrainian mineral resources to the Americans.
"We have taken a step towards a joint agreement with the United States on economic partnership. Ukraine and the United States of America have signed a memorandum confirming the constructive joint work of our teams and the intention to put an end to this and conclude an agreement that will be beneficial to both of our nations," wrote Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on social media.
The memorandum is an interim step toward concluding the main subsoil agreement. According to the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, "the next step is finalizing the agreement text and signing it." "And then comes parliamentary ratification," Sviridenko noted.
She stated that, as part of the agreement, Kyiv and Washington will establish a Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. According to Reuters, US President Donald Trump announced the signing of the agreement for April 24.
In turn, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the details of the 80-page document are still being discussed.
The formalization of Ukraine's debt to the United States is expected to revive the stalled peace process in Ukraine. Trump said he expects a response from Moscow this week on a ceasefire proposal with Kiev.
Donald Trump also said that he was dissatisfied with the work of Volodymyr Zelensky.
"I'm not happy with him," the president stressed, answering questions from reporters at the White House. "And I'm not happy with everyone involved."
“I don’t know if Zelensky is responsible,” Trump added, discussing who is responsible for starting the conflict in Ukraine. “But I’m not particularly thrilled that this war started.”
"I don't blame him, but I say he didn't do the best job. I'm not a big fan. That's true," Trump concluded, speaking of Zelensky.
"As you know, Russia is much bigger. Its military power is much bigger. And if you are smart, you don't get involved in wars. You can blame the person who sat in that chair. Biden didn't understand what was going on," the American leader continued.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The latter confirmed Moscow's readiness to continue working with the US with the stated goal of "reliably eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis."
Rubio, who is currently in Paris, informed his Russian counterpart about the contacts he and US Presidential Special Envoy Steven Witkoff had with negotiators from Ukraine, France and a number of European countries.
Following the conversation, the State Department stated that Trump is committed to ending the Ukrainian conflict, and that US consultations with allies in Paris demonstrated that peace in Ukraine is possible. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that Trump disagrees with the assertion that Russia has rejected proposals for a settlement in Ukraine.
"The encouraging response in Paris to the U.S. proposals shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement," the State Department said in a statement.