WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden and his Indonesian counterpart, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, will kick off preliminary talks toward a critical minerals agreement when they meet at the White House on Monday, senior U.S. officials told reporters.

The officials signaled, however, that the discussions will only be "the very first phase" and that time will be needed before negotiating a limited free trade agreement -- one that would open the gates for Indonesian entities to indirectly benefit from American subsidies.