The Trump-Zelenskyy Mineral Deal Is Here

Trump’s mineral-for-aid deal with Ukraine is making waves and Ukrainian media published the full text of the agreement. What’s in it, and what’s next for Ukraine and the U.S.?

On Monday, February 3, Donald Trump announced that he wanted Ukraine to supply the U.S. with rare earths and other minerals in exchange for financial support for its war effort. President Zelenskyy's response was rather enthusiastic, and on Friday of that same week, in an interview with Reuters, he stated: "If we are talking about a deal, then let's do a deal; we are only for it." Zelenskyy also emphasized Ukraine's need for security guarantees from its allies as part of any settlement. In fact, it was the Ukrainians who first floated the idea of opening their critical mineral sector to investment by allies last autumn when they presented a "victory plan." After these two declarations by Trump and Zelenskyy, there was a pause of about two weeks—a break during which Trump applied pressure through media appearances concerning Ukraine, while a host of Ukraine’s allies harshly criticized him, calling him "Putin’s partner" and other insults. At Rock Rachon We Rollin, we have maintained from the beginning that these are elements of negotiation and that this deal is a good one. Yesterday, the first reports emerged suggesting that the deal had been finalized—today, this was confirmed by, among others, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. Additionally, the first leaks have surfaced, with the Kyiv Independent publishing the details of the deal in an exclusive report.