U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he will soon sign a rare earth minerals agreement with Ukraine.
On the 20th (local time), ahead of the signing ceremony for the executive order to dismantle the Department of Education held at the White House, President Trump said, "We are doing very well with Ukraine and Russia (for peace negotiations)."
He added, "Ukraine's rare earth minerals hold tremendous value."
The mineral agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine was supposed to be signed on the 28th of last month by President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but the meeting between the two leaders ended in a breakdown after a heated argument, causing the deal to fall through.
The U.S. has been demanding mining rights for key minerals, including rare earth elements, buried within Ukrainian territory in exchange for military support and other considerations.
President Trump also stated before the event, "I just signed an executive order to dramatically increase the production of critical minerals and rare earth elements," adding, "As you know, we plan to sign agreements in various places to secure rare earths, minerals, and many other resources worldwide."
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