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US, Ukraine agree to terms of critical minerals deal
One of the sources familiar with the deal said future weapons shipments are still being discussed between Washington and Kyiv.
The U.S. and Ukraine have agreed on the terms of a draft minerals deal central to Kyiv’s push to win Washington’s support as President Donald Trump seeks to rapidly end the war with Russia, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.
A source familiar with the contents of the draft agreement said that it does not specify any U.S. security guarantees or continued flow of weapons but says that the United States wants Ukraine to be “free, sovereign and secure.”
One of the sources familiar with the deal said future weapons shipments are still being discussed between Washington and Kyiv.
Trump told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to come to Washington on Friday to sign a “very big deal.” This came after the two leaders exchanged hostile words last week.
The U.S. president, who has cast the deal as a repayment for billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv, also said some form of peacekeeping troops are needed in Ukraine if an agreement to end the conflict is struck. Moscow, which launched an invasion of Ukraine three years ago, has refused to accept any deployment of NATO forces.
Some European countries have said they would be willing to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine. Trump said on Monday that Moscow would accept such peacekeepers, but the Kremlin denied that on Tuesday.
Trump’s rush to impose an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine and his lurch toward Moscow has stoked fears of far-reaching U.S. concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin that could undermine security in Ukraine and Europe and alter the geopolitical landscape.
Trump last week falsely called Zelenskiy an unpopular “dictator” who needed to cut a quick peace deal or lose his country. The Ukrainian leader said the U.S. president was living in a “disinformation bubble.”
Officials on both sides have agreed to the draft and advised it should be signed, the sources said.
The deal could open up Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth to the U.S.
“What we’re doing is now we’re saying, look, we want to be secured,” Trump said. “The American taxpayer now is going to get their money back, plus.”
Zelenskiy refused to sign an earlier draft of a minerals agreement as Washington sought rights to $500 billion in Ukraine’s natural wealth. Kyiv protested it had received far less than that in U.S. aid and the deal lacked the security guarantees Ukraine needs.
Under the terms of a draft minerals agreement, according to sources familiar with its contents, the United States and Ukraine would establish a Reconstruction Investment Fund to collect and reinvest revenues from Ukrainian sources including minerals, hydrocarbons and other extractable materials.
Ukraine would contribute to the fund 50% of the revenue minus operating expenses and continue until the contributions reach the sum of $500 billion. The United States would provide a long-term financial commitment to the development of a “stable and economically prosperous Ukraine.”
Asked what Ukraine would get in return for the minerals deal, Trump cited what he said was $350 billion already provided by the U.S. “and lots of … military equipment and the right to fight on.”
Scott Anderson, a fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, said that while the minerals deal would look like “a kind of piracy” to much of the world it is necessary to get buy-in from Trump and Republican lawmakers.
“They say this gives him (Trump) real skin in the game. I think there is real logic to that,” Anderson said.
“I hear that he’s coming on Friday,” Trump told reporters. “Certainly it’s okay with me if he’d like to. And he would like to sign it together with me.”
European officials have been left flat-footed by Trump’s decisions to hold talks on ending the war in Ukraine with Russia, spurning both Kyiv and Europe, and by his administration’s warning that the U.S. was no longer primarily focused on Europe’s security.
A White House meeting could give Zelenskiy a chance to make his case for continued U.S. support directly to Trump, who last week falsely accused Kyiv of starting the war.
Ukraine has deposits of 22 of the 34 minerals identified by the European Union as critical, according to Ukrainian data. They include industrial and construction materials, ferroalloy, precious and non-ferrous metals, and some rare earth elements.
Ukraine’s reserves of graphite, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors, represent 20% of global resources.
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Mujahid calls on spokespersons to expand cooperation with media
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has urged spokespersons of all Emirate institutions to intensify efforts aimed at strengthening information dissemination and expanding cooperation with media outlets.
Speaking at a coordination meeting held on Tuesday at the Government Information and Media Center, Mujahid praised the efforts of institutional spokespersons in sharing information and described their role in improving the effectiveness and coordination of public communication as important.
He stressed the need for continued cooperation and called on spokespersons to play a more active role in strengthening government-related content through media platforms and the Parmakhtag website.
Mujahid also highlighted the importance of media in delivering information, raising public awareness, reflecting realities, and strengthening public trust in the government.
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Borders minister says no one will be allowed to reignite conflict in Afghanistan
Noorullah Noori, Minister of Borders, Ethnic and Tribal Affairs, says that objectives such as establishing an Islamic system, ensuring security, and achieving national unity in Afghanistan have now been fulfilled, and has called on opponents of the Islamic Emirate living abroad to return to the country.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Noori addressed opponents of the Islamic Emirate, saying: “If your jihad against the Russians was aimed at establishing an Islamic system, ensuring security, and achieving national unity, then today these objectives have been achieved in Afghanistan. Return to your country and present whatever suggestions or opinions you may have.”
Noori added that opponents of the Islamic Emirate based in Turkey, Pakistan, and several other countries should stop claiming that they seek to “liberate Afghanistan,” because Afghanistan is now a free country. He warned that no one will be given permission or the opportunity to cause bloodshed in the country again.
He urged them to come back to Afghanistan and present any proposals or demands they may have regarding the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
He said: “What is your voice, your message, and your demand? Our country has regained its freedom from occupiers, and today there is not a single foreign soldier present anywhere in Afghanistan. So, from whom do you intend to liberate the country? Return to your homeland and put forward your proposals. The people of Afghanistan have learned from the past. Today, not even a single dead body is seen across Afghanistan, and Afghans neither expect to see coffins again, nor will anyone be given the opportunity to cause bloodshed in this country once more.”
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Khalilzad urges Pakistan to heed UN call for dialogue with Afghanistan
His comments came after Guterres urged all parties to protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces.
Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has called on Pakistan to respond positively to the United Nations’ appeal for dialogue, saying Afghanistan has consistently sought a diplomatic solution to tensions between the two neighboring countries.
In a post on X, Khalilzad referred to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for Afghanistan and Pakistan to end hostilities and resolve their differences through diplomacy.
He said Afghanistan has repeatedly made clear that it prefers dialogue over conflict and has presented several proposals aimed at reducing tensions.
“Will the Pakistani establishment listen to the UN Secretary-General? I hope so, but I am not optimistic,” Khalilzad wrote.
His comments came a day after Guterres urged all parties to protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar.
Speaking on behalf of the UN chief, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General was deeply concerned by the escalation and called on both countries to settle their differences through diplomatic means.
“We continue to call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and stress that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times,” Dujarric said.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said numerous civilians were killed and injured in the overnight airstrikes, while humanitarian agencies warned that the attacks had also displaced families and created urgent humanitarian needs.
According to Afghan authorities, at least 36 civilians were killed and more than 160 others wounded in the strikes, with women, children and elderly people among the casualties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan condemned the strikes as a violation of the country’s sovereignty and airspace, describing them as a “crime” and a “cowardly act.”
Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated sharply in recent months over Durand Line security and militancy, with both sides accusing each other of failing to prevent cross-frontier attacks. The latest exchange has heightened concerns of further escalation, prompting renewed international calls for restraint and dialogue.
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