Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that negotiators are experiencing “good progress” with the United States in tense discussions regarding a minerals deal aimed at securing crucial US support.
“The fundamental legal aspects are nearly finalized, and if everything proceeds smoothly and constructively, the agreement will yield economic benefits for both our nations,” Mr. Zelensky mentioned in his daily address.
The US and Ukraine had planned to finalize a deal concerning the extraction of Ukraine’s strategic minerals, but a conflict between US President Donald Trump and Mr. Zelensky in February temporarily disrupted the negotiations.
Mr. Trump seeks the deal—designed to provide the US with royalty payments on profits from Ukrainian mining of resources and rare minerals—as compensation for aid that his predecessor, Joe Biden, provided to Ukraine.
He referred to an update from economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who earlier stated that there had been “significant progress” in the negotiations.
She mentioned that Ukrainian officials had “made adjustments to several items in the draft agreement” and that both parties would soon sign a “memorandum of intent.”
Furthermore, she indicated that the Ukrainian parliament would need to vote on any final agreement.
A senior official familiar with the negotiations reported that discussions were advancing “quite quickly.”
The source informed AFP that the latest drafts of the agreement seemed to not recognize US aid as a debt owed by Ukraine.
This observation echoed an earlier report from Bloomberg News, which suggested that the US had softened its demand for Ukraine to repay the aid provided since Russia began its invasion in 2022.
The report further noted that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Monday that a deal might be signed as early as “this week.”
Firefighters battle blazes following a Russian drone attack (Image: State Emergency Service of Ukraine)
Russia targets civilian infrastructure in Odesa strike
An overnight Russian drone assault on the Black Sea port city of Odesa resulted in three injuries, ignited fires, and damaged residential properties and public infrastructure, according to officials from the southern Ukrainian region.
“The enemy has once again attacked Odesa with a large-scale drone offensive,” remarked Oleh Kiper, governor of the region with Odesa as its administrative center, on the messaging app Telegram, although the full extent of the attack remains unclear.
The Ukrainian air force typically provides details about overnight Russian assaults later in the morning.
In a post on Telegram, Ukraine’s emergency service reported three injuries and several fires that erupted in the city due to the attack.
Odesa’s mayor, Hennadiy Trukhanov, shared images showing a residential building and other structures that had been nearly obliterated, while emergency workers were seen sifting through rubble, with a dog peeking out from behind a pile of wood.
A damaged building is shown following a prior drone strike in Odesa on Monday.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry claimed it had destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Nine of the drones were reportedly taken down over the southern Voronezh region, and eight over the Belgorod region near the border, according to their statement.
They added in a Telegram post that the remaining drones were intercepted over the Kursk, Lipetsk, and Moscow regions, as well as over the Crimean Peninsula.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm these claims.
Both parties deny deliberately targeting civilians in the conflict, which Russia initiated with its large-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago.
In late March, the United States announced that it had reached separate accords with Ukraine and Russia to halt attacks over the Black Sea and against each other’s energy assets.
Each side has repeatedly accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
