WAR IN UKRAINE
Trump officials pitch Zelenskyy on U.S. owning 50% of Ukraine's rare earth minerals

The Trump administration indicated U.S. troops could be deployed to provide security in connection with the minerals if there's a peace deal with Russia, sources told NBC News.



Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 16.Maxym Marusenko / NurPhoto via Getty Images file

Feb. 14, 2025, 11:01 PM EST
By Courtney Kube, Andrea Mitchell, Abigail Williams, Owen Hayes and Nnamdi Egwuonwu

The Trump administration has suggested to Ukraine that the United States be granted 50% ownership of the country’s rare earth minerals, and signaled an openness to deploying American troops there to guard them if there’s a deal with Russia to end the war, according to four U.S. officials.

Rather than pay for the minerals, the ownership agreement would be a way for Ukraine to reimburse the U.S. for the billions of dollars in weapons and support its provided to Kyiv since the war began in February 2022, two of the officials said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented the proposal for the U.S. to own half of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a draft contract he brought to their meeting on Wednesday in Kyiv, according to eight U.S. officials briefed on the meeting.

After that meeting, Bessent said the draft of a U.S.-Ukraine rare earth minerals agreement reflected the president’s goal, but he did not provide details of what the administration had proposed.

Zelenskyy declined to sign the document when Bessent presented it during their meeting, saying he needed to study it and consult others about it, the eight U.S. officials briefed on the meeting said.

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