Ukraine firmly determined to continue cooperation with US, PM says

By Olena Harmash

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine is "firmly determined" to continue cooperation with the United States, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday following the news that Washington paused its crucial military aid.

Shmyhal said Ukrainian forces could hold the situation on the battlefield as they fight Russian troops despite the pause in U.S. supplies.

President Donald Trump stunned Ukrainians by pausing the supply of U.S. military aid that has been critical for Kyiv since Russia's 2022 invasion.

Shmyhal said that U.S. military assistance was critical for Ukraine and that it had helped save thousands of lives.

Kyiv hoped to continue working with Washington pragmatically and was ready to sign a deal that would give the United States access to Ukraine's deposits of rare earth and other critical minerals, Shmyhal said.

"We are looking for these opportunities for pragmatic cooperation based on the economy, in particular in the agreement to create jointly an investment fund. We are ready to sign it and move in this direction," he told a news conference.

"It is important to maintain this partnership and find ways to work together. We are working to ensure the support continues until a peace agreement is reached, but I stress that it will be on Ukraine's terms as a victim country."

Ukrainian officials said the United States was supplying about 40% of Ukraine's weapons. Europe covered about a third.

Last year Ukraine covered about 30% of its weapons needs with domestic production and planned to increase output this year to cover up to 50%, Shmyhal said.

He said Ukraine planned to increase its drone production to about 2.5 million this year from some 1 million produced in 2024. The country would also increase production of artillery and other ammunition, he said, providing no absolute figures.

Ukraine depended critically on the U.S. for air defence systems to repel Russian missile strikes, Shmyhal said. The Ukrainian military said last month that Russia launched over 8,000 missiles at Ukraine since its invasion in February 2022.

Shmyhal said there was a risk for the repair, maintenance, and general supplies for U.S. Patriot air defences that he described as the only system capable of repelling Russian ballistic missile strikes.

Residents in the capital Kyiv said the government needed to redouble its diplomatic efforts towards the United States.

"I think a dialogue between the president's office and Donald Trump's administration will solve this issue sooner or later," Natalia Borysenko, 38, public servant, told Reuters.

"There will probably be a pause, but then it will be sorted somehow."

Shmyhal gave no time frame for when the minerals deal could be signed. The agreement with the United States was cast into doubt after President Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last Friday descended into acrimony.

Trump hinted on Monday that the deal could still be agreed despite his frustration with Kyiv.

"We have no choice... So I am not considering a 'plan B'. We have a 'plan A' - our victory," Shmyhal said.

(Additional reporting by Yuliia Dysa and Anna Voitenko; Writing by Tom Balmforth/Olena Harmash; Editing by Jon Boyle and Peter Graff)