NEW YORK, August 1. /TASS/. The rare earth agreement with Kiev allows the United States to take whatever it needs from Ukraine, US President Donald Trump said.

"Ukraine is very rich, very fertile soil in terms of rare earth, and we have a contract signed having to do with rare earth. We can go in there at any time we want to take pretty much whatever we want. That was a pretty good deal," he told American journalist Steve Gruber in an interview.

On May 1, 2025, the Ukrainian government published a mineral resources agreement signed with the United States. The deal drew criticism from some media outlets and lawmakers, who said it could limit Kiev’s economic sovereignty while providing no security guarantees. However, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) ratified the agreement on May 8, and Vladimir Zelensky signed the ratification into law on May 12.