While headlines have focused on the deal’s access to Ukraine’s rare earth elements, several lesser-known aspects reveal deeper layers of this partnership. Here are four key points you might have missed
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The recently signed minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States, which was months in the making, has garnered a fair bit of attention. The agreement establishes an investment fund that Ukraine hopes will secure US support as the nation continues its fight against Russia three years after the war began.
However, beyond the public declarations of
strategic partnership and post-war recovery, the deal contains several lesser-known provisions.
Here are four important but overlooked aspects of the agreement:
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1. Zelenskyy won’t pay back anything to Trump
Despite initial suggestions from some quarters in Washington that Ukraine could repay part of its wartime aid through mineral revenues, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly opposed the idea. He reportedly insisted that any suggestion of repayment would amount to turning the cost of survival into a debt burden for future generations.
The final agreement, as confirmed by Kyiv and Washington officials, contains no clause requiring repayment of military or economic assistance provided during the
war.
This may frustrate some in the Trump administration who have called for more transactional foreign policy, but it allows Ukraine to protect its economic sovereignty.
2. It’s not only about rare earth minerals
Much of the attention surrounding the deal has focused on Ukraine’s rare earth deposits, which are crucial for high-tech manufacturing and military hardware. However, the agreement covers a far broader range of critical minerals.
Ukraine’s reserves include large deposits of lithium, graphite, titanium and uranium. These materials are vital to a range of industries including electric vehicles, aerospace, nuclear energy and semiconductors. For the United States, gaining early access to these resources offers a strategic advantage in reducing dependency on China. For Ukraine, it signals a path toward becoming a key supplier in global clean energy and defence supply chains.
3. Trump won’t object to Ukraine’s EU membership
One of the more politically charged questions leading up to the deal was whether closer US-Ukraine economic ties would come with conditions t