Everything We Known About Ukraine's Reported Minerals Deal With U.S. Following Pressure From Trump Admin

Ukraine has reportedly agreed to jointly develop its critical minerals, oil and gas along with the U.S. following pressure from the Trump administration, a development that could eventually lead to a ceasefire with Russia.

The Ukrainian cabinet is expected to recommend the deal be signed on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the deliberations.

Ukraine had initially rejected in February, with officials saying they didn't offer any security guarantees for the country. The decision led President Donald Trump and other top officials to heavily criticize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Trump even calling him a "dictator."

Officials continued criticizing Zelensky over the next days, with National Security Advisor Michael Waltz saying last week that "President Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky, the fact that he hasn't come to the table, that he hasn't been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered."

Moreover, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Zelensky hadn't expressed "gratitude" for Trump's offers to aid his country. Rubio claimed that in a meeting with himself and Vice President JD Vance, Zelensky agreed to a mineral rights deal with the U.S. However, he claims "two days later," he read that Zelensky said he rejected the deal.

"We're trying to help these guys," Rubio said. He added that Trump said he "cares" about Ukraine, but it's on another continent and therefore "doesn't affect the daily lives of Americans." Rubio went on to suggest that Ukraine should have "some level of gratitude" for U.S. intervention in Ukraine.

Zelensky, on his end, said he'd happily resign the presidency if it meant peace for his nation. "If you need me to leave this chair, I am ready to do that, and I also can exchange it for NATO membership for Ukraine," he said in a recent press conference.

The latest version of the deal doesn't specify any security guarantees either, but U.S. officials claim that binding the two countries economically amounts to it. Trump said he wants the equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths, but the outlet detailed that the country has no such reserves that are internationally recognized as economically viable. The country does reportedly have $10 trillion worth of mineral deposits.