US and Ukraine sign memorandum, a step towards reaching an agreement on rare earth minerals

Ukraine has announced that Kiev and Washington have signed a memorandum as an initial step towards reaching an agreement on mineral resources in Ukraine, an agreement promoted by US President Donald Trump.

Although the two countries were set to sign a deal in February to cooperate on natural resources, it was delayed after an Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy turned into an argument. Reuters.

"We are happy to announce the signing of the memorandum with our American partners," said Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

It is reported that the memorandum paves the way for an economic partnership agreement and the establishment of an investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

And the signing comes as officials in Kiev worked to repair ties after the Oval Office "episode," acknowledging that Ukraine needs U.S. support in its fight with Russia.

Trump said the agreement itself could be signed next week, although the Ukrainian side gave no indication of when it expected to finalize the full deal. /Telegraph/