A historical agreement on natural resources, signed USA and Ukrainewhile an investment fund is being created for rebuilding.
After a two -month delay and prolonged negotiations, the USA and the Ukraine ended up in this extremely important – from many aspects – Agreement on mineralsbut also to Establishment of a joint investment fund to rebuild the countrywhich is in war with Moscow, after the Russian invasion of February 2022.
As announced at dawn on Thursday 1 May (Greek time), US Department of Financethe agreement mainly concerns rare metals and minerals, which are considered to be of strategic importance. For Ukraine, this development is critical as it may be linked to the safeguarding of future US military aid.
The US president had already expressed his intention to access Ukrainian rare land since February, referring to them as ‘Exchange’ For the billions of dollars of aid that Washington has already provided in Kyiv.
However, the negotiations had been frozen after a strong encounter in the White House between Donald Trump and his Volodimir Zelenskiwhich significantly made it difficult to reach an agreement.
President Trump He had initially demanded access to Ukrainian deposits as compensation for billions of dollars given by the Biden government after the Russian invasion in 2022. Although Ukraine hesitated at first, it finally accepted the agreement, in exchange for long -term investments.
When signing the agreement, the US Minister of Finance, Scott Bessed He stressed that the agreement proves the commitment of both countries to “constant peace and prosperity” in Ukraine. He noted that ”No state or person who contributed to the Russian war mechanism will benefit from Ukrainian rebuilding».
Trump added that ‘American presence on the ground will be deterrent to harmful factors“, While Foreign Minister Marco Rubio warned that the US may be completely withdrawn from the mediation effort if there are no tangible steps for a peaceful solution.
What does the agreement provide for
According to the Ukrainian prime minister, Dennis SmichalUS-Ukrainian agreement ensures:
– Creation of reconstruction fund, with equal representation (50-50) US and Ukraine.
– No debt repayment for US military aid by 2022.
– Reinvesting of all fund profits exclusively in Ukraine.
– Maintaining complete national sovereignty in the country’s natural resources and infrastructure.
Ukraine It has about 5% of global mineral reserves and significant amounts of toner, manganese, titanium and lithium. However, many areas remain under Russian control, making extraction difficult.
The deal comes in a particularly tense context, as the Donald Trump seeks end to war conflict through territorial compromises, a proposal expressly rejected by the Volodimir Zelenskiespecially with regard to the formalization of its concession – under Russian occupation since 2014 – Crimea in Moscow.