Raw materials deal between the USA and Ukraine takes shape

According to media reports, the controversial raw materials deal between Ukraine and the USA is ready for signature after days of wrangling. Both sides have agreed on the details of a contract.

There is no official confirmation of this yet. The signing could take place as early as this Friday: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj is to travel to Washington then, as US President Donald Trump announced. "I hear he wants to come on Friday, which is certainly fine with me if he wants to," Trump said in the White House.

The internet portal of "Ukrajinska Pravda" in Kiev reported that there was a new agreement on US access to raw materials in Ukraine - as compensation for the defense aid that the United States has provided to the country attacked by Russia over the past three years . The media outlet has seen a draft of the agreement. In addition to the rare earths that are important for high-tech products, the agreement also concerns US access to Ukrainian oil and gas.

The British "Financial Times" also reported on an agreement between both sides. According to the reports, the version that is supposedly ready for signature no longer mentions security guarantees from the USA, which the Ukrainian government had recently repeatedly insisted on.

There has been a heated debate about the agreement in recent days because Ukrainian President Zelenskyy initially refused to sign it. There was outrage not only in Ukraine, but also in European countries that Trump apparently viewed the war-torn country, which has suffered extensive destruction, as an opportunity for a lucrative deal.

USA and Ukraine probably operate funds together

According to the reports, the United States will not have full control over a planned reconstruction investment fund that will receive revenues from mineral extraction. Instead, the fund will be jointly managed by the United States and Ukraine, and will receive 50 percent of revenues from sales of raw materials and ports and other infrastructure that are important for handling minerals.

Like the "Ukrajinska Pravda", the "Financial Times" also reported that the fund would not receive as much money from Ukraine until the sum of 500 billion US dollars was reached - this was the sum that Trump had initially suggested. According to both media outlets, Washington gave in and distanced itself from the toughest demands that had aroused Zelenskyj's displeasure.

The Washington-based World Bank estimates the cost of reconstruction in Ukraine at at least 524 billion US dollars (around 506 billion euros) over the next ten years.

According to media reports, the fund is intended to finance projects in Ukraine. It is separate from the revenue from the sale of raw materials, which already flows into the state budget. The agreement should also not contradict other international agreements between Ukraine - for example with the EU. The Financial Times reported that Zelensky would sign the agreement at a meeting with Trump - Trump himself also said this. Details of how the future fund will work still need to be clarified, it was said.

The exploitation of raw materials in Ukraine is considered strategically important and economically lucrative. The country can make good use of the deposits of rare earths and other raw materials for reconstruction. However, a large part of the resources are located in the areas of the country occupied by Russia.

criticism of the approach

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is one of the heads of state and government who has at least openly criticized the US government's actions. At the beginning of February, in connection with Trump's comments, he said that it "would be very selfish, very self-centered" to use Ukraine's resources to finance defense support.

Scholz also pointed out that Germany would not accept payment for supporting the attacked Ukraine. "That should be everyone's attitude," he said. The previous government in Washington under President Joe Biden had also justified its support for Ukraine with its fight for its freedom and independence.

Selenskyj thanks Macron for support

In his evening video message, Zelensky did not say a word about the alleged agreement with the USA. After the events marking the third anniversary of the start of the war, he thanked the allies for their help. The international partners not only continued their support for Ukraine, but also wanted to expand it. "This will help us achieve peace even faster - an honest peace that guarantees that there will never be aggression again," Zelensky wrote on the X platform.

He also thanked French President Emmanuel Macron , who had asked for further US support for Ukraine during a meeting with Trump in the White House. "Ukraine sees how much France is doing for our common future," said Zelensky after a telephone conversation with Macron, in which the Frenchman informed him about the content of the conversation with Trump.

Macron informs EU about meeting with Trump

On Wednesday, Macron also plans to inform the heads of state and government of the EU countries about his recent talks with Trump via video conference. The call is primarily intended to prepare for the special EU summit on Thursday next week. At the meeting, the heads of state and government will discuss how to respond to the drastic change of course by the USA in Ukraine policy.

Trump received Macron on Monday as the first European head of state to visit the White House since the beginning of his second term. During the talks, the Frenchman insisted, among other things, that the Europeans, who were left out of the recent talks between American and Russian representatives, be more involved in the negotiations. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also expected at the White House on Thursday. (dpa)

drone attacks on Kyiv region

According to authorities, one person was killed in a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian region of Kyiv. At least four other people were injured, the governor of the capital region, Mykola Kalashnyk, announced on the short message service Telegram. In addition, several houses caught fire. In total, at least five houses and two apartment buildings were damaged. The body of a civilian was found in a residential building in which a fire broke out as a result of the attack. An air raid warning was in effect in the Kyiv region and the eastern part of Ukraine for several hours from Tuesday evening.

drone attacks on southern Russia

According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the Russian armed forces intercepted and destroyed 128 Ukrainian drones on Wednesday night. 83 drones alone were shot down over the Krasnodar Oblast in southern Russia. The ministry has not provided any information on possible damage or the full extent of the Ukrainian attack. Krasnodar is located on the Black Sea and is connected to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, via the Kerch Bridge.

Three buildings were damaged in the attack, the governor of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratiev, said on Telegram. There are currently no reports of injuries. In the port city of Tuapse on the Black Sea, a house caught fire, but the fire has since been extinguished, said Mayor Sergei Boiko. The Russian Telegram news channel SHOT reported that Ukrainian drones had apparently targeted the port area. Local residents heard around 40 explosions that sounded like active air defense systems. Tuapse is home to Russia's largest oil refinery on the Black Sea. It has been the target of Ukrainian drone attacks several times over the course of the war that has been going on for years.

Possible exchange of children

According to the Russian state news agency RIA, Russia is working on an exchange of children with Ukraine. 16 children from Ukraine are to be brought to Russia and ten children are to be reunited with relatives in Ukraine, RIA reports, quoting the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lwova-Belova. "We have a clear mandate from the president that we only work with full legal representatives, that is, with relatives and parents who have legal capacity and can care for their children," Lwova-Belova told RIA, referring to President Vladimir Putin.

Through these channels, 95 children have currently been reunited with their relatives in Ukraine and 17 children have returned to Russia. According to the Ministry of Reintegration, Ukraine has so far brought back 1,277 children, including through non-governmental organizations and its own initiatives. According to Ukrainian sources, more than 19,500 children were abducted to Russia or to Russian-occupied territories during the war without the consent of their relatives or guardians. Ukraine describes this as a war crime that meets the UN definition of genocide.