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