A Ukrainian government delegation will visit the United States this week to discuss the terms of a deal related to the use of the country's mineral resources, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in an interview with the Associated Press. According to her, at the moment, the discussion is about a working document prepared by the legal team of the US Treasury Department. She emphasized that this is only a preliminary position of the American side, and not a final agreement or joint understanding. The minister specified that the group will include representatives of key departments - the ministries of economy, foreign affairs, justice and finance, which emphasizes the interdepartmental nature of the upcoming consultations.

People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, commenting on the upcoming trip, noted that the delegation will be technical in nature. Its goal is not to conduct full-scale negotiations, but to focus on clarifying specific details of the document. This indicates that the parties are still at the stage of developing the technical aspects of the agreement, which may affect issues of mineral extraction and economic cooperation between Kiev and Washington.

The initiative reflects Ukraine's desire to strengthen economic ties with the United States amid the ongoing conflict and the need to attract investment. According to Ukrainian sources, in March 2025, American companies expressed interest in developing lithium and rare earth metal deposits in the west of the country, which could become the basis for upcoming discussions. Experts note that earlier this year, Kyiv already signed a memorandum with one of the major American corporations on subsoil exploration, and the current trip could take cooperation to a new level. At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada is debating how to balance the economic benefits and environmental risks associated with such projects. Washington, for its part, views Ukraine as a potential supplier of strategic resources, which is especially relevant amid global competition with China for control over the rare metals market. The results of the visit are expected to determine the framework for a future agreement, which could be presented by the summer of 2025.