Trump Says Ukraine Mineral Resources Agreement Will Be Signed Soon

The President of the United States says an agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine for sharing revenue from Ukraine's vital mineral resources will be signed soon. Donald Trump stated on Monday, March 24, during a meeting with his cabinet members, that the United States is negotiating with Ukraine regarding the possibility of American companies owning power plants in the country. An American delegation met with Ukrainian officials on Sunday, and on Monday, the delegation is also negotiating with Russian officials in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. These negotiations are primarily focused on establishing a ceasefire in the Black Sea, but Trump says that since he is working to end the three-year war of Russia against Ukraine, other topics have also been raised in these negotiations. The U.S. President said, "We are currently discussing border determinations and separation lines, as well as force and ownership of power plants. Some believe that the U.S. should own the power plants... because we have the necessary expertise." The Riyadh negotiations are considered a turning point in U.S. efforts to establish a ceasefire in the Ukraine war; previous U.S. negotiations with either Russian or Ukrainian delegations were held a day or several days apart, but this time the presence of all parties in one location could expedite matters. Ukraine described the negotiations with the U.S. in Riyadh as constructive; separate negotiations between the U.S. and Russia have been noted. No plan has been announced for a direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats in Riyadh, and the delegations from each country met separately with the U.S. team; something that one American official referred to as "shuttle diplomacy." As the diplomatic process progresses, which has faced challenges, Russian attacks on Ukraine have intensified. While the Russian and Ukrainian delegations meet with U.S. officials in Riyadh for ceasefire negotiations, Ukrainian soldiers stationed at the front lines near the city of Pokrovsk told "Current Time," a Russian-language network run by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America, that Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian positions in these areas. According to Serhiy, one of these Ukrainian soldiers, 200 to 300 explosions occur daily in this region. He says, "All the explosions are directed at us. They (the Russian forces) are trying to infiltrate our positions, but we have stopped them." Dmytro, another Ukrainian soldier, says, "They (the Russians) have a lot of manpower. If we do not cover the infantry positions, they will advance without any problem." Ukrainian soldiers do not have much hope for the negotiations in Saudi Arabia and compare these talks to past efforts for establishing a ceasefire in Ukraine. Residents of the city of Rudynske, located just 5 kilometers from Pokrovsk, have also been severely affected by the war. While the Current Time team was filming a report in the area, the city was targeted by a drone attack.