The United States and Ukraine have agreed to terms on a deal over natural resources and reconstruction, CNN reported citing a Ukrainian official. This comes a day after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Feb 25) that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky wants to come to Washington later this week suggesting a possible end to the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war.  

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This comes amid Washington's dramatic shift of policy that includes Trump reaching out to Russia, angering Europe. 

The source said the terms were agreed upon after "everything unacceptable was taken out of the text and it is now more clearly spelt out how this agreement will contribute to Ukraine's security and peace". 

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The news agency Reuters said in its source-based report that the visit is scheduled for Friday (Feb 28). However, the US has not confirmed whether or not the terms of a deal have been agreed. 

"I hear that he's coming on Friday. Certainly it's okay with me if he'd like to, and he would like to sign it together with me. And I understand that’s a big deal, very big deal," Trump said from the Oval Office on Tuesday. 

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Trump's take on Ukraine war 

Since coming to the office for the second time, Trump has often claimed that had he been the president, the Russia-Ukraine war would never have started. 

He has now demanded that Ukraine give access to its rare earth minerals to compensate for the billions of dollars of wartime aid it received under Joe Biden. 

A senior Ukrainian source told the news agency AFP on the condition of anonymity late Tuesday that the deal would see the US jointly develop Ukraine's mineral wealth, with revenues going to a newly created fund that would be "joint for Ukraine and America". 

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The source further added that the draft of the deal included a reference to "security". However, it did not set out America's commitments -- one of Kyiv's prior demands for an agreement. 

"There is a general clause that says America will invest in a stable and prosperous sovereign Ukraine, that it works for a lasting peace, and that America supports efforts to guarantee security." 

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Earlier, Zelensky had denied Trump's demands to give the United States $500 billion worth of valuable minerals used in aerospace, electric vehicles and other technologies. Russia hasn't responded yet, but talks about the deal could be part of all the communication leading up to Trump and Vladimir Putin's proposed face-to-face meeting. 

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos

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