AP PHOTOS: Argentina reacts to Pope Francis' death

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Bells tolled in churches in his native Argentina as news spread around the world after the announcement that Pope Francis had died at age 88. He was the first Latin American pontiff and charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor.

Associated Press photographers in Buenos Aires, where Francis was born, are capturing the reaction to the pontiff's death.

Gregoria Caceres kneels in front of a portrait of the late Pope Francis at the Caacupe Parish, which he often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Faithful hold candles under a highway bridge during Mass to honor the late Pope Francis in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful hold candles during a Mass honoring the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful light candles for the late Pope Francis at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Worshippers pray during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A photo of the late Pope Francis is projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Alejandra Zuccoli prays at the Basílica de San José de Flores, the church where the late Pope Francis worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Commuters glance from a passing bus at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where the late Pope Francis worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Patricia Sanchez attaches a rosary to a column of the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Genali Nogales touches a painting of the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

The Cathedral, left, stands in Buenos Aires' main square, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

A faithful holds a portrait of late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A worshipper cries during Mass at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Agustín Hartich lights a candle at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Maria Teresa Delgado holds a portrait of the late Pope Francis during Mass at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Vehicles drive past a mural of the late Pope Francis' in Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal that is expected to give Washington access to the country’s critical minerals and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.

According to Ukrainian officials, the version of the deal signed Wednesday is far more beneficial to Ukraine than previous versions, which they said reduced Kyiv to a junior partner and gave Washington unprecedented rights to the country's resources.

The agreement — which the Ukrainian parliament must ratify — would establish a reconstruction fund for Ukraine that Ukrainian officials hope will be a vehicle to ensure future American military assistance. A previous agreement was nearly signed before being derailed in a tense Oval Office meeting involving U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“We have formed a version of the agreement that provides mutually beneficial conditions for both countries. This is an agreement in which the United States notes its commitment to promoting long-term peace in Ukraine and recognizes the contribution that Ukraine has made to global security by giving up its nuclear arsenal,” Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who signed the deal for Ukraine, said in a post on Facebook.

The signing comes during what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said would be a “very critical” week for U.S.-led efforts to end the war that appear to have stalled. Ukraine sees the deal as a way to ensure that its biggest and most consequential ally stays engaged and doesn’t freeze military support, which has been key in its 3-year-old fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who signed for the U.S., said in a statement.

Here is a look at the deal.

The deal covers minerals, including rare earth elements, but also other valuable resources, including oil and natural gas, according to the text released by Ukraine's government.

It does not include resources that are already a source of revenue for the Ukrainian state. In other words, any profits under the deal are dependent on the success of new investments. Ukrainian officials have also noted that it does not refer to any debt obligations for Kyiv, meaning profits from the fund will likely not go toward the paying the U.S. back for its previous support.

Officials have also emphasized that the agreement ensures full ownership of the resources remains with Ukraine, and the state will determine what can be extracted and where.

The text of the deal lists 55 minerals but says more can be agreed to.

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in Ukraine's rare earth elements, and some of them are included in the list, as are other critical minerals, such as titanium, lithium and uranium.

They are a group of 17 elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.

China is the world’s largest producer of rare earth elements, and both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing, Trump’s chief geopolitical adversary.

They include elements such as lanthanum, cerium and scandium, which are listed in the deal.

The agreement establishes a reconstruction investment fund, and both the U.S. and Ukraine will have an equal say in its management, according to Svyrydenko.

The fund will be supported by the U.S. government through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation agency, which Ukraine hopes will attract investment and technology from American and European countries.

Ukraine is expected to contribute 50% of all future profits from government-owned natural resources into the fund. The United States will also contribute in the form of direct funds and equipment, including badly needed air defense systems and other military aid.

Contributions to the fund will be reinvested in projects related to mining, oil and gas as well as infrastructure.

No profits will not be taken from the fund for the first 10 years, Svyrydenko said.

Trump administration officials initially pushed for a deal in which Washington would receive $500 billion in profits from exploited minerals as compensation for its wartime support.

But Zelenskyy rejected the offer, saying he would not sign off on an agreement “that will be paid off by 10 generations of Ukrainians.”

Ukraine’s rare earth elements are largely untapped because of state policies regulating the industry, a lack of good information about deposits, and the war.

The industry’s potential is unclear since geological data is thin because mineral reserves are scattered across Ukraine, and existing studies are considered largely inadequate, according to businessmen and analysts.

In general, however, the outlook for Ukrainian natural resources is promising. The country's reserves of titanium, a key component for the aerospace, medical and automotive industries, are believed to be among Europe’s largest. Ukraine also holds some of Europe’s largest known reserves of lithium, which is required to produce batteries, ceramics and glass.

In 2021, the Ukrainian mineral industry accounted for 6.1% of the country’s gross domestic product and 30% of exports.

An estimated 40% of Ukraine's metallic mineral resources are inaccessible because of Russian occupation, according to data from We Build Ukraine, a Kyiv-based think tank. Ukraine has argued that it's in Trump’s interest to develop the remainder before Russian advances capture more.

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov, File)

President Donald Trump welcomes Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)