Ukraine said on Wednesday it had reached a "preliminary" deal to hand revenue from some of its mineral resources to the United States, before an expected trip to Washington by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday.

While the president’s word seems to suggest unambiguous certainty that a deal was reached between both sides, Ukraine appears not quite committed to the same degree of completion on the deal.

The United States will have access to Ukraine's critical mineral wealth, including key ingredients for the clean energy transition, under a deal the two countries are expected to sign later this week.