This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that the administration of President Donald Trump and officials in Ukraine have reached agreement on the long-awaited critical and strategic rare earth minerals deal that has been in the works for months.
The minerals deal, in fact, has become part of a larger "United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund" that was announced.
"In recognition of the significant financial and material support that the people of the United States have provided to the defense of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion, this economic partnership positions our two countries to work collaboratively and invest together to ensure that our mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery," the announcement said.
"Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the Treasury Department and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation will work together with the Government of Ukraine to finalize program governance and advance this important partnership."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained, "As the president has said, the United States is committed to helping facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war. This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term. President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides' commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine. And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine."
A report at Washington Examiner said the deal started out as a plan to give the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals so that it would be less dependent on China, from where many of those products now come.
Bessent worked on the project with Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The report said, "While it's unclear how and when the historic agreement will benefit the two countries, the immediate effect is a thaw in the frosty relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump, and the continuation of military aid to Ukraine, at least for now."
It explained Trump apparently is approving the sale of "defense-related" materials to Ukraine, even as the president "grows increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin's intransigence."
Bessent told Fox News the Ukraine deal is a "win-win," and told host Sean Hannity it's a tribute to Trump's deal-making prowess.
"He's done trade deals, tax deals, and now we've got this Ukrainian-American economic partnership deal," he said. "It is a way to show that there's no daylight between Ukraine and the U.S., as President Trump presses to end this horrible war."
Details of the agreement have yet to be revealed.
But the World Economic Forum has documented that Ukraine can be a potential key supplier of lithium, beryllium, manganese, gallium, zirconium, graphite, apatite, fluorite and nickel.
Reuters reported, "The State Geological Service said Ukraine has one of Europe's largest confirmed reserves, estimated at 500,000 metric tons, of lithium – vital for batteries, ceramics, and glass. The country has titanium reserves, mostly located in its northwestern and central regions, while lithium is found in the center, east and southeast. Ukraine's reserves of graphite, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors, represent 20% of global resources."
