LATE ON APRIL 30th, Ukraine and America reached agreement on a minerals deal that has been months—and much pain—in the making. Last-minute setbacks and ultimatums nearly derailed the signing, echoing the chaotic genesis of negotiations. First proposed by the Ukrainians to President Joe Biden last autumn as a trade of mineral rights for more weapons, the deal soon became a test of unquestioning loyalty to Donald Trump. Drafts were presented by his officials in angry ultimatums, before vanishing. One agreement unravelled spectacularly following a now infamous falling-out between Mr Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the Oval Office.