US Treasury Secretary Bessent meets Zelensky in Kiev

During his first visit to Kiev, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented a draft agreement to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the mining of rare raw materials in the country by US investors.

"We will do everything to ensure that our teams can get down to work, agree on something very quickly and sign the document," Zelensky said after the meeting.

After taking office on January 20, US President Donald Trump had declared that he wanted his country's military aid to Kiev to be paid for with raw materials.

"We are talking about the joint development of deposits," Zelensky emphasized.

Ukraine has large deposits of rare earth elements and other natural resources, and Trump has expressed interest in exploiting them.

Zelensky himself has in the past declared his readiness to share raw materials with partners if the country's security is guaranteed in return.

At the same time as Zelensky's and Bessent's meeting, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during a meeting in Brussels, rejected Kiev's plans to join NATO and its hopes of a return to its internationally recognized borders.

Trump later spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky on the phone.