Washington partners drafted in
Hogan Lovells has been drafted in by the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to advise on negotiations with the US over a potentially massive minerals agreement — one that would likely secure US support and investment into Ukraine.
The firm’s involvement was revealed through a filing under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) register, which confirms Hogan Lovells’ US arm will provide legal advice on “international trade and US policy issues” linked to the deal. The formal engagement was signed on 8 April 2025 and submitted to the US Department of Justice the following day.
According to the paperwork, Hogan’s Washington-based partners, Deen Kaplan and Adam Kushner, will lead the work — both billing at $1,500 an hour.
The filing reportedly coincides with the start of technical talks in Washington between US and Ukrainian officials, as part of a wider effort to agree terms for an investment fund that would manage revenue from Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
But politics has complicated the path forward. A planned signing ceremony at the end of February was famously derailed after a heated Oval Office row between Zelensky and Donald Trump, who accused the Ukrainian leader of showing insufficient gratitude for US support and allegedly told him, “You don’t have the cards.” Trump subsequently paused all military aid to Ukraine, and said Zelensky could “come back when he is ready for peace”.
The political backdrop remains tense. Trump has repeatedly claimed the US has given Ukraine between $300 billion (£237 billion) and $350 billion (£276 billion) in aid, and has framed the minerals deal as a way for America to “get that money back”.
Zelensky, meanwhile, has been pushing for the agreement to include a firm US security guarantee, something he views as essential amid continued Russian aggression. No such guarantee has been offered so far, although the published draft text states that the US supports “Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees to build lasting peace”.
This deal will see Hogan’s US heavyweights attempt to pick up the pieces and negotiate against the White House to facilitate the agreement on behalf of Ukraine.
This latest activity by Hogan Lovells follows scrutiny from the Trump administration, which launched a sweeping probe last month into the DEI policies at 20 major law firms, including Hogan Lovells itself. The firm, alongside other global firms such as A&O Shearman and Freshfields, is now facing demands from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to hand over detailed records on hiring and compensation practices.
According to Law.com (£), the firm responded by renaming its “diversity, equity and inclusion” pages to “HL Inclusion”, removing references to LGBTQ+, disability and “institutional racism”, and replacing its DEI video with a message from its CEO.
