What we know about the US-Ukraine minerals deal

The draft agreement discussed Tuesday does not include the $500 billion payment the Trump administration had previously demanded.

Ukraine has agreed to a deal to cede revenues from some of its mineral resources to the United States, a U.S. and a Ukrainian official said Tuesday, following an intense pressure campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump .

Final details of the deal, including how much money Ukraine will pay the United States, are still unknown.

But a draft of the deal discussed Tuesday did not include a requirement that Ukraine give $ 500 billion to a U.S.-owned fund.

Nor did it include a clause requiring Ukraine to repay the United States twice the amount of any future U.S. aid.

The Ukrainians have grown more comfortable with the deal in recent days after the Americans removed some of the more onerous conditions.

The draft agreement said Ukraine would contribute half of its revenues from future monetization of natural resources, including critical minerals, oil and gas, to a fund.

The United States would own the largest financial stake in the fund permitted under U.S. law, though not necessarily all of it.

And the fund would be designed to reinvest part of the proceeds in Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly pushed for security guarantees for his country in exchange for mineral rights, as Russia's war is in its fourth year.

But drafts of the agreements reviewed by The New York Times did not include such a security commitment.

A final translated draft of the agreement was sent to Ukraine on Tuesday, according to the U.S. official.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart are expected to sign the deal first, with Zelensky then traveling to Washington to sign it with Trump, the U.S. official said.

Ukraine controls more than 100 major deposits of critical minerals, according to a study by the Kiev School of Economics, as well as modest reserves of oil and natural gas.

Titanium is used in construction, aircraft, orthopedic implants, and as an additive in paints and cosmetics, including sunscreens, among many other things.

Titanium mines in central Ukraine account for about 6 percent of global production, according to Ukrainian media.

Lithium is a crucial element in batteries, including those in electric vehicles, and other industrial products, such as some medicines.

Ukraine has a third of Europe's total reserves, although some deposits are located in disputed areas of the war.

Before the war with Russia, Ukrainian officials suggested to Elon Musk that he invest in lithium mines.

Uranium used in nuclear power plants and weapons.

Ukraine has the largest uranium reserves in Europe.

Rare earths are a group of more than a dozen metals, much less abundant than titanium or lithium, which are used in many high-tech sectors such as green energy, electronics and the aerospace industry.

Ukraine has significant reserves that are largely untapped , and it is unclear how expensive they would be to extract.

Constant Méheut, Andrew E. Kramer, Maria Varenikova and Alan Rappeport contributed reporting.

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