Trump could pursue streamlined initial deal on Ukraine minerals, sources say

The Trump administration may seek to strike a simplified minerals deal with Ukraine to get a pact in place quickly and later negotiate detailed terms, such as how much of Ukraine’s vast resources the U.S. would own, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Why it matters

This follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s rejection of a detailed U.S. proposal last week that would have seen Washington receiving 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals, which include graphite, uranium, titanium and lithium, the latter a key component in electric car batteries.