Kiev, 17 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced an interim step on the way to a raw materials deal with the United States.

"The memorandum of understanding could be signed online today," Zelensky told journalists in Kiev on Thursday.

He said that the proposal came from the US side. Lawyers would continue to work on the actual binding raw materials agreement.

At the end of February, the signing of a vague framework agreement on joint raw material extraction failed in Washington following a dispute between US President Donald Trump and Zelensky.

Trump has been pushing Kiev for some time to conclude a raw materials agreement. The profits from the extraction of rare earth metals, among other things, are to serve as compensation for military aid already granted to the country under attack by Russia.

Ukraine has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion with Western help for more than three years.

Photo: EPA