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Editor's Note: This item has been updated to include additional comments.
A minerals agreement between the United States and Ukraine faced a last-minute setback on April 30, as disagreements over final terms raised doubts about whether the deal would be signed, according to the Financial Times.
First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko traveled to Washington to sign a framework deal. U.S. officials reportedly insisted that Ukraine also sign a detailed fund agreement as part of the overall package.
Reuters reported on April 30 that Washington expects Ukraine to sign two additional documents along with the minerals deal, while Kyiv maintains those texts are not yet finalized.
According to the Financial Times, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s team told Svyrydenko to “be ready to sign all agreements, or go back home.” A person familiar with U.S. discussions said the delay stemmed from Ukraine attempting to revisit terms that had been agreed upon previously.
Ukrainian officials in turn said they could not sign both agreements, as the fund agreement requires further technical work and must be ratified by the country’s parliament before it can be signed, the Financial Times reports. Kyiv said it was ready to proceed with the framework deal.
"Our side is ready to sign," Bessent said on April 30 during a White House cabinet meeting. "The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes. We're sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon, if they are."
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal earlier in the day said the framework agreement, once signed, would be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for ratification, after which the detailed fund agreement between U.S. and Ukrainian legal entities could be finalized.
Speaking on national television, he noted that the U.S. side operates under a different legal framework, allowing them to verify the deal without legislative approval. Shmyhal added that consultations with Ukrainian parliamentary leadership on the agreement's details are scheduled for May 1. As for the framework deal, Shmyhal said he hoped it would be signed by the parties within the next 24 hours.
"As soon as the details are finalized, I hope within the next day, the agreement will be signed and we will get the first step," he noted.
The minerals deal has been under discussion for months and became a point of tension between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump. The two got into a heated argument in the White House on Feb. 28 moments before the deal was set to be signed.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
