Trump: US, Ukraine set to ink revenue-sharing agreement on critical minerals

US President Donald Trump has revealed that he expects a US-Ukraine revenue-sharing agreement regarding Ukrainian critical minerals to be signed in the near future.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump also shared that the US is in negotiations with Ukraine about the potential for American firms to own Ukrainian power plants, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The discussions come as part of broader talks between the US and Ukrainian officials, which took place on March 23, followed by meetings with Russian officials on Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

While the primary focus of the talks has been a Black Sea ceasefire, Trump emphasised that additional issues are being explored as he continues to push for a resolution to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. 

"We're talking about territory right now. We're talking about lines of demarcation, talking about power, power plant ownership. Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant...because we have the expertise," Trump stated.

The White House emphasized that US ownership of the infrastructure would provide the best protection for this infrastructure and support Ukraine’s energy sector. President Zelenskyy clarified that this referred to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

The US may be interested in the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as part of a resource deal aimed at boosting the extraction of Ukrainian rare earth metals and other minerals. Experts expressed skepticism about the idea of placing the ZNPP under US control, highlighting that such facilities cannot be privatized under Ukrainian law.

By Naila Huseynova