On Sunday, Steve Witkoff, U.S. President's envoy Donald Trump to the mediate East, announced that the U.S. is expecting to sign a mineral deal with Ukraine next week. This agreement is intended to cover the U.S. taking over half of the U.S. gross from the extraction of Ukrainian natural resources, including rare-earth metals, as compensation for aid to the defence war with Russia so far.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenski, initially rejected the American proposal, but now there is no uncertainty about its adoption. Zelenski "realized how much we did for Ukraine and that this agreement should be signed; I think it will happen this week," Witkoff said in an interview with the American station CNN.
The US has put forward a fresh proposal, but its assumptions are even more stringent for Ukraine than the first version. According to the media, Washington is exerting force on Kiev to accept the agreement, threatening, among others, to block Ukrainian troops' access to the Starlink satellite communications system.
White home representatives have consistently presented the agreement to date as a "great opportunity" for Ukraine and guaranteeing the long-term commitment of the US to the prosperity of the country. U.S. President's National safety Advisor, Mike Waltz, claimed that it was a "shared investment" agreement in natural resources that would affect investing American companies in mineral and another natural materials, helping to increase gross from this.
Witkoff is Trump's influential advisor. Although his position covers mediate east affairs, he participated, among others, in last week's gathering of the Heads of Diplomacy of the USA and Russia, Marc Rubio and Sergei Lavrow. This was the first gathering of the delegation of both parties at specified a advanced level since Russia launched a full-size war against Ukraine 3 years ago.
The figures for Ukrainian natural resources are impressive. Ukraine has immense reserves of iron, coal, copper and ore uncommon earths, making it 1 of the largest producers of these natural materials in the world. In 2022, Ukraine extracted over 70 million tons of iron, 30 million tons of coal and 10 million tons of copper.
The agreement on mineral resources between the US and Ukraine can have a crucial impact on the Ukrainian economy. The increase in gross from the extraction of natural materials can aid increase investment in the industrial sector and improve the surviving conditions of Ukrainian residents.
However, not all parties are satisfied with this agreement. Russia, which is the main antagonist of Ukraine in the war, has already announced that it will protest the agreement, claiming that it is simply a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.
In this situation, the European Union must besides take a position on this. The EU is 1 of Ukraine's main trading partners and can have a crucial impact on Ukraine's choice. The European Commission has already stated that it supports the agreement between the US and Ukraine, claiming that this is an chance for Ukraine to increase its gross and improve its economy.
In any event, the mineral natural materials agreement between the US and Ukraine will have a crucial impact on Ukraine's future and global relations. The planet should carefully observe the situation and anticipate what will happen next.
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Mineral Resources Agreement: US and Ukraine are approaching agreement
