The U.S. and Ukraine have signed a deal giving the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical mineral and energy resources via a joint investment fund.
Ukraine says the deal will create an equal economic partnership, but its real impact is still unclear.
President Zelenskyy initially proposed the minerals deal to gain U.S. military support and security guarantees.
The deal includes valuable resources like lithium, uranium, graphite, titanium, and rare earths.
Donald Trump backed a version of the deal that required Ukraine to repay past aid by giving U.S. firms access to resources, leading to public tensions.
The final deal, signed on April 30, excludes language treating past aid as debt but includes terms that future U.S. assistance will be repaid through resource revenue.
A new U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund will finance resource extraction, with Ukraine contributing 50% of revenues to it.
The agreement lacks any direct American security guarantees, a key request from Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials are calling the deal a success, but it reflects their limited leverage and ongoing vulnerability in the war.
The success of the deal depends on continued U.S. support; if the war continues and aid declines, Ukraine’s security situation may worsen despite the deal.
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