The deputy prime minister of Ukraine said her country was in the “final stages” of thrashing out a deal – seen by Washington as repayment for military aid – as world leaders including Canada’s Justin Trudeau and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen separately gathered in Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky has argued that the US grants to Ukraine were not debts that should be repaid, but in establishing a commercial presence in Ukraine for the US, underpinned by a written agreement, he hopes to give Trump an incentive to continue to support the fight against Russian forces on his territory.
Under Ukrainian law any deal would need to be ratified by Ukraine’s parliament, but the Ukrainian deputy PM said: “We hope that both US and UA leaders might sign and endorse it in Washington the soonest to showcase our commitment for decades to come”.
Zelensky’s rejection of the original deal presented in Kyiv by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent led to Trump dismissing the democratically elected president as a “dictator” which caused consternation among Ukraine allies in Europe.
Ukraine has offered an olive branch to Donald Trump’s administration by suggesting it is close to signing a minerals deal with the US on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
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