This could be, as someone once said, a big freaking deal. Ukrainian officials are indicating that the embattled nation may be ready to sign a minerals deal with the United States as soon as Wednesday. But there may be a catch.

Ukraine wants to sign a landmark minerals agreement with the US in Washington on Wednesday following months-long negotiations, Ukrainian officials said — but it wasn’t clear if the Trump administration was ready to ink the deal.

Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is currently in DC to coordinate final details tied to the mineral resources agreement, according to two senior Ukrainian officials.

The Ukrainian Cabinet is expected to approve the agreement’s wording — which includes the main deal and at least two technical accords — ahead of the sit-down.

President Trump had indicated that he would be ready to sign a minerals deal almost two weeks ago:

See Also: Trump: Ukraine Minerals Deal May Be Signed Next Week

As of this writing, however, there has been no comment from the White House.

There was no immediate word from the White House on whether the deal would be made official on Wednesday. The Post has reached out for comment.

One of the Ukrainian officials expressed hope, though, that there would be no changes from the US side.

The development would mark a major step in the drawn-out agreement process after a signing ceremony for an earlier version of the deal was axed when President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, got into a heated Oval Office spat.

Negotiations, which have been contentious at times, have continued steadily since then.

President Trump has been talking about the need for a cease-fire in the Russo-Ukrainian war since his campaign, but again, as of this writing, he has not succeeded in getting both parties in the same room.

See Also: NatSec Advisor Waltz Signals Things Are Moving in the Right Direction on Deals With Russia, Ukraine

The minerals deal, assuming it goes through, would put a different face on the conflict. A deal like this would put some economic ties between Ukraine and the United States (in addition to resolving the problem that, so far, the "What's in it for us?" factor hasn't applied to the billions we have poured into Ukraine), putting Russia on its back foot.

At that point, Russia has, well, the same options it has now; escalate, or make a deal, and it's not at all clear what Russia has to escalate with. For over a year, Russia has been hauling Cold War relics out of museums, refurbishing them, and sending them into the fight. And, we should note, the lines aren't moving appreciably in either direction.

War is all too often armed robbery writ large. The Russo-Ukraine conflict is a perfect example; Russia seized Crimea for the warm-water port and the Cold War-era submarine base. And a great deal of the rare earth minerals that are the subject of this possible agreement are in eastern Ukraine, not too far, in fact, from the rather ossified front lines. It's a near-certainty that Tsar Vladimir I has his eyes on those minerals, as well.]

This is a developing story. We'll be bringing you updates as events warrant.

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