What we know about US-Ukraine minerals deal

Ukraine has agreed to the presumption of a large woody giving the US entree to its deposits of uncommon world minerals, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Kyiv hopes the woody – which would springiness the US a fiscal involvement successful the state – volition promote the White House to support Ukraine if the warfare with Russia reignites aft a imaginable ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump said an statement would assistance American taxpayers "get their wealth back" for assistance sent to Ukraine passim the warfare and would springiness Ukraine "the close to combat on" against Russia.

But Ukrainian President Zelensky said nary US information guarantees had been agreed yet, but helium hoped the statement would "lead to further deals".

Key details person not yet been made public, but connected Wednesday Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine and the US had finalised a mentation of the agreement.

Speaking to Ukrainian TV, Shmyhal said the preliminary statement envisages that an "investment fund" volition beryllium acceptable up for Ukraine's reconstruction.

Kyiv and Washington volition beryllium managing the money connected "equal terms", the premier curate added.

He said Ukraine would lend 50% of aboriginal proceeds from state-owned mineral resources, lipid and state to the fund, and the money would past put successful projects successful Ukraine itself.

The New York Times reported, citing a draught document, that the US would ain the maximum magnitude of the money allowed nether US law, but not needfully each of it.

A minerals woody was astatine the centre of a rift betwixt Trump and Zelensky past week, with the Ukrainian president rejecting an archetypal petition for $500bn (£395bn) successful gross from uncommon minerals.

Media reports accidental this request has since been dropped.

"The provisions of the woody are overmuch amended for Ukraine now," a root successful Ukraine's authorities told the BBC.

On Tuesday, Trump said the US had fixed Ukraine betwixt $300bn (£237bn) and $350bn (£276bn) successful aid, and that helium wanted to "get that wealth back" done a deal.

BBC Verify investigation did not find evidence for this figure.

Zelensky has been pushing for a woody to see a steadfast information warrant from the US.

But connected Wednesday, Ukraine's person said nary specified warrant had been made.

"I wanted to person a condemnation connected information guarantees for Ukraine, and it's important that it's there," helium said.

Asked by the BBC if helium would beryllium prepared to locomotion distant from the statement if Trump did not connection the guarantees helium wanted, Zelensky said: "I privation to find a Nato way oregon thing similar.

"If we don't get information guarantees, we won't person a ceasefire, thing volition work, nothing."

Despite this, Ukrainian PM Shmyhal said connected Wednesday the US supported "Ukraine's efforts to get information guarantees to physique lasting peace".

He said Ukraine would not motion the woody until Zelensky and Trump "agree connected information guarantees" and determine connected however to "tie this preliminary agreement" to a US information guarantee.

Yuri Sak, advisor to Ukraine's ministry of strategical industries, told the BBC earlier connected Wednesday: "There's nary constituent successful signing immoderate woody connected captious minerals if Russians tin reinvade 1 period aft signing the deal."

He said discussions astir information guarantees needed to continue.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, who has been starring negotiations, told the Financial Times that the woody was "part of a bigger picture".

The imaginable of a minerals woody was archetypal projected by Zelensky past twelvemonth arsenic a mode to connection the US a tangible crushed to proceed supporting Ukraine.

Trump said connected Tuesday that Ukraine would get "the close to combat on" successful instrumentality for entree to its minerals, though helium did not corroborate an statement had yet been reached.

He suggested the US would proceed to proviso instrumentality and ammunition to Ukraine "until we person a woody with Russia".

He besides said determination would beryllium a request for "some signifier of peacekeeping" successful Ukraine pursuing immoderate bid deal, successful a signifier that would request to beryllium "acceptable to everyone".

Shmyhal said the US and Ukraine person prepared a last mentation of the agreement, which Ukraine's authorities volition authorise for signing connected Wednesday.

Trump has said helium expects Zelensky to motion the woody connected a sojourn to Washington connected Friday.

Zelensky said helium would beryllium "very direct" with Trump by asking whether the US would proceed supporting Ukraine oregon not.

Kyiv estimates that astir 5% of the world's "critical earthy materials" are successful Ukraine.

This includes immoderate 19m tonnes of proven reserves of graphite, which the Ukrainian Geological Survey authorities bureau says makes the federation "one of the apical 5 starring countries" for the proviso of the mineral. Graphite is utilized to marque batteries for electrical vehicles.

Ukraine besides has important deposits of titanium, lithium and uncommon world metals - a radical of 17 elements that are utilized to nutrient weapons, upwind turbines, electronics and different products captious successful the modern world.

• What minerals does Ukraine have?

Vladimir Putin has not yet addressed reports that the presumption of a woody betwixt the US and Ukraine person been agreed.

But connected Monday evening helium told authorities TV helium was acceptable to "offer" resources to American partners successful associated projects, including mining successful Russia's "new territories" - a notation to parts of eastbound Ukraine that Russia has occupied since launching a full-scale penetration 3 years ago.

Putin said a imaginable US-Ukraine woody connected uncommon minerals was not a interest and that Russia "undoubtedly have, I privation to emphasise, importantly much resources of this benignant than Ukraine".

"As for the caller territories, it's the same. We are acceptable to pull overseas partners to the alleged new, to our humanities territories, which person returned to the Russian Federation," helium added.