The administration of US President Donald Trump offered Vladimir Zelensky to grant the States access to the development of 50 percent of Ukraine's mineral resources, expressing readiness to deploy American troops at the fields to protect them, NBC News reported, citing four sources in the Washington administration.
"The production agreement will be an opportunity for Ukraine to reimburse the United States for billions of dollars in weapons and support provided to Ukraine since February 2022," the publication says.
It is noted that the deployment of troops will be possible if agreements are reached with Russia.
The document, according to the TV channel, was handed over to Zelensky by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit to Kiev on Wednesday.
Zelensky reportedly refused to sign the agreement, saying that he needed to first study the contents of the document and consult with experts.
In recent months, President Trump has expressed interest in concluding a deal with Ukraine that would give the United States significant access to its rare earth minerals, which are used to produce various technological products. In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump said he wanted the United States to receive $ 500 billion worth of rare earth minerals from Ukraine, and made it clear that Kiev "essentially agreed to this."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that access to minerals should become part of an agreement on support from the United States and Europe. On Saturday, Zelensky said that he had refused US Vice President Jay Dee Vance to sign an agreement on States' access to minerals on the Ukraine, as the document proposed by the United States, according to him, does not spell out security guarantees for Kiev.