US pressured Kiev over minerals deal ‘like in a mafia movie’ – Ukrainian official

Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka says Washington exerted intense pressure on Kiev to finalize an agreement

Negotiations over a critical minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States felt like something out of a “mafia movie,” according to Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka.

The deal, signed in late April after months of closed-door talks, establishes a joint investment fund and grants Washington preferential access to Ukraine’s natural resources. However, it does not include any American security guarantees, a point recently underscored by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, despite Kiev’s efforts to link economic cooperation with defense commitments.

In an interview published by The Times on Thursday, Kachka described the tone of the talks as “calm... like in a mafia movie,” where powerful figures in suits decide “matters of life and death” in quiet, tension-filled rooms.

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Не acknowledged that the pressure from Washington was intense. “Of course, we saw all the Truth Social posts from President Donald Trump. But if you remove emotions from this, it just indicated a strong interest to have this agreement here and now,” the deputy minister stressed. Tensions escalated in early April when the draft agreement was leaked to the media, leading to mutual accusations between American and Ukrainian officials.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted in March, “[Trump] understands that the American people are sick and tired of footing the bill for this war to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.”

This sentiment was widely interpreted by the Ukrainians as reinforcing the urgency from Washington to secure tangible returns such as access to natural resources in exchange for continued support.

Despite the challenges, Kachka said he was ultimately satisfied with the outcome, noting that the two sides had succeeded in “finding common ground.”

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In Russia, former President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Security Council, commented on the deal earlier this month, framing it as a coercive move by Washington. “Trump finally forced Kiev to pay for US aid with its natural wealth,” Medvedev claimed. “From now on, they’ll have to trade away the resources of a vanishing country in exchange for military supplies.”