US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has told Bloomberg that Washington and Kyiv are close to signing a minerals deal, which could happen as early as this week.

Source : Bloomberg with reference to Bessent

Quote : "Asked about the status of talks on Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Ukraine came with a counterproposal over the weekend and negotiations are still proceeding. 'We are very, very close,' Bessent told Bloomberg News in Buenos Aires. 'It could even be signed as early as this week'."

Details : Bloomberg noted that the Ukrainian government declined to comment before the agreement is signed. The White House and the US Treasury Department have also not responded to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, a Treasury Department spokesperson said the technical talks were very productive. The spokesperson added that they look forward to a quick conclusion of the negotiations.

Bloomberg also reported that the US had softened its demands for Ukraine to repay aid during negotiations on the minerals deal.

Background :

• Earlier, European Pravda reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump had returned to the version of the minerals agreement that required Ukraine to reimburse all the assistance that the United States provided after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
• On 11 April, US and Ukrainian officials met to discuss the US proposal to gain access to Ukraine's minerals. The media reported an "antagonistic" atmosphere at the meeting.
• During these technical consultations in Washington, the Ukrainian delegation handed over proposals prepared by Kyiv to the US side.
• On 15 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that last week's talks between the Ukrainian and American teams on a minerals agreement had gone well. 

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