Kyiv (Ukraine), Feb 26 (AP) Ukraine and the U.S. have reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that would include the exploitation of rare earth minerals, three senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday.

The officials, who were familiar with the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. One of them said that Kyiv hopes that signing the agreement will ensure the continued flow of U.S. military support that Ukraine urgently needs.

There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the administration of US President Donald Trump.

The agreement could be signed as early as Friday and plans are being drawn up for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Washington to meet Trump, according to one of the Ukrainian officials.

Another official said the agreement would provide an opportunity for Zelenskyy and Trump to discuss continued military aid to Ukraine, which is why Kyiv is eager to finalize the deal. (AP) NB

Framework economic deal links rare earth mineral development to continued military support and high-level coordination. A bilateral framework economic deal structures cooperation on exploitation of rare earth minerals, providing terms for resource access and joint development, and is explicitly linked to continued military assistance; near-term signature and reciprocal leadership meetings are planned to coordinate economic commitments with defence cooperation objectives.