After so much noise, finally, the US President received his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House, will the huge mineral deal be signed?

On February 28, US President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House to sign a rare earths deal and discuss ending the conflict with Russia.

US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, February 28. (Source: The New York Times)

The meeting, which is expected to be tense, follows a week of intense diplomacy, in which French and British leaders also traveled to the US to persuade Mr Trump not to abandon Kiev.

Earlier, on February 25, Ukraine agreed to the terms of the mineral deal with the United States.

Specifically, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told reporters that Kiev had reached a mineral agreement with Washington.

The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed the above information in a statement released later.

Welcoming the preliminary agreement, President Zelensky said it was the beginning of a larger deal, as Kiev hoped to receive security guarantees from Washington.

"This is just a beginning, a framework agreement, but it could be a great success. The success will depend on our conversation with President Trump," he affirmed.

The agreement provides for the establishment of a reconstruction investment fund jointly managed by the U.S. and Ukrainian governments. The fund will be managed by both countries on an equal basis.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal revealed that the country will transfer half of the revenue from future natural resource projects to the fund, with the money reinvested in more development projects.

The joint contribution of the two countries will be invested in the reconstruction of the country, the economy and security of Ukraine.

In terms of scale, the White House boss revealed that the deal could be worth up to $1 trillion.

When asked what Ukraine would get in return for the mineral deal, Donald Trump said the US had spent a total of $350 billion in various forms of aid on Kiev.

However, the deal omitted a provision that would have raised $500 billion in mineral revenues.

There is also no clear provision for the US to guarantee Ukraine's security - something Kiev wants in return for sharing the profits from its vast resources.

Mr. Trump said that security guarantees were not part of the agreement.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/sau-qua-nhieu-on-ao-cuoi-cung-tong-thong-my-cung-tiep-nguoi-dong-cap-ukraine-tai-nha-trang-thoa-thuan-khung-ve-khoang-san-co-duoc-ky-305982.html