This explains U.S. backing for a “free, sovereign, and secure Ukraine” and is a prelude to a comprehensive minerals deal.
According to a top Ukrainian official, Kyiv and Washington inked a memorandum Thursday that opens the door to a comprehensive economic agreement to develop Ukraine’s vital resources and rehabilitate the war-torn nation.
Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted on X, “We are pleased to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent.”
In what he sees as restitution for the billions of dollars in aid the United States has given to the war-torn nation since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, U.S. President Donald Trump wants an agreement with Ukraine to develop and profit from its enormous reserves of vital elements and minerals, from lithium to titanium.
After months of negotiating the specifics of such an agreement, Kyiv and Washington were about to reach a deal in February when Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s extremely unpleasant White House meeting abruptly ended the negotiations.
Svyrydenko stated that the memorandum signed Thursday reaffirmed U.S. support for a “free, sovereign, and secure Ukraine” and set the foundation “for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine”.
The agreement’s finalization and signature are next, followed by parliamentary ratification,” she stated, adding that there was still “a lot to do” to complete the transaction. However, given the existing rate of development and noteworthy advancements, it is reasonable to anticipate that the document will be highly advantageous for both nations.
Trump claimed that the United States and Ukraine may complete a “minerals deal” as early as next Thursday, April 24, when meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office on Thursday.
He said, “And I assume they’re [Ukraine] going to live up to the deal.”
A contract that “ten generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back” was something Zelenskyy had previously refused to accept. At one time, Trump requested $500 billion in profits from Ukraine’s natural resource development.