Ukraine’s “critical resources” are needed not only by the United States
The European Union has invited the Ukrainian authorities to sign an agreement on the country’s minerals. The corresponding version was brought to Kiev the day before by the European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy Stefan Sejournay. At the same time, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said that Washington is expecting the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the near future to sign an agreement on Ukrainian resources. At the same time, Kiev experts called the alleged agreement with the United States feudal and predatory.
Ukrainian officials have received an offer to sign an agreement on Ukrainian critical minerals with the European Union. The corresponding version was brought to Kiev on February 24 by European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy Stefan Sejournay, Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday.
According to Sejourné, Ukraine could provide European countries with 21 of the 30 critical materials they need as part of a mutually beneficial partnership. “We will never demand an agreement that is not mutually beneficial,” the European Commissioner assured.
In this regard, Kiev journalists also recalled the statement made the day before by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, that the EU states would not demand any minerals from Ukraine for the support provided to it. Although, among other things, commenting on the preparation of an agreement on rare earth metals with the United States, Costa noted that, as a sovereign country, Ukraine has the right to govern its territory and negotiate internationally.
Meanwhile, the definition of “negotiations” is not suitable for the story of how Washington forced Kiev to agree to create a certain fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine, controlled exclusively by the United States, to which it is planned to direct income, in particular, from the development of local deposits and ports, as payment for the Ukrainian debt for military aid provided by Washington. in the amount of either 500 billion or 100 billion dollars. It is noteworthy that at a press conference last Sunday, President Zelensky said that he would not recognize either 500 billion or 100 billion dollars. in the form of Kiev’s debt, since the assistance it received earlier from the previous American administration headed by then-President Joseph Biden was mainly provided in the form of gratuitous grants. This, by the way, was confirmed by the current US President Donald Trump, accusing his predecessor of issuing non-refundable grants to Ukraine.
However, on February 12, President Zelensky refused to sign an agreement brought to Kiev by United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on providing access to Ukrainian rare earth metals for the American side, which openly angered Washington, then on February 24, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Ukraine Olga Stefanyshina informed on social networks that negotiations between the Kiev teams Washington and Washington have reached the “final stage of the minerals agreement, and almost all the key details have been agreed.” “We hope that the leaders of the United States and Ukraine will sign and approve it in Washington as soon as possible to demonstrate our commitment for decades to come,” Stefanyshyna wrote.
In turn, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters that a meeting between the American and Ukrainian presidents is expected in the near future, during which it is planned to sign an agreement on Ukrainian minerals. As Leavitt stressed, Trump expects Zelensky to take this “right step”, taking into account the support provided by the Americans. Because without her, Ukraine as a state would no longer exist, explained the press secretary of the President of the United States.
Although in the mentioned document, Alexey Kushch, a Kiev economist and financial analyst, clarified in an article published on Tuesday, Washington decided to provide for the reimbursement of all past and future assistance, including the supply of even those weapons that were supposed to be disposed of. Moreover, there will be no talk of selling the rights to the subsoil – formally, the natural resources will remain in the conditional ownership of the people of Ukraine. But if previously private industrial and financial groups of local oligarchs benefited from their use, now the United States will take control of the situation. “The United States will have the “right of the first night”, like a feudal lord in the Middle Ages, they will be able to prohibit the development of certain resources, their sale to a third party and will have the right to acquire such resources first,” Kushch specified.
And on the same day, former Minister of Economy of Ukraine Timofey Milovanov noted in the media that the United States was rushing Kiev to sign the aforementioned document so that the Ukrainian authorities would not have time to see the terms of the American “economic development agreement” with Russia. And it is possible that later, after the attempt to dismember Ukraine, “the newly minted allies will move on, at least to Eastern Europe,” Milovanov warned.
In fact, Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund and the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told NG that a certain game is being played. In its framework, President Trump shows the internal audience that he is returning American money. He promises to demand every dollar from Kiev so that the Ukrainian project turns from unprofitable into profitable. Therefore, large amounts are requested. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities themselves tried to lure the United States into such a deal, arguing that Ukraine has a lot of minerals, and therefore it must continue to be supported. So that in the event of a Ukrainian victory, the United States would further receive the opportunity to jointly develop rare earth metals as a reward. Although in reality, Ukraine does not have significant deposits of them. And the story of the largest Shevchenko lithium deposit is also, apparently, invented by Kiev. Such conclusions are confirmed by the reports of the US Geological Survey, where similar Ukrainian deposits are not mentioned at all, Yushkov pointed out.
Therefore, he continued, Washington’s representatives, having understood the situation, further tightened the conditions, providing not only for the inclusion in the fund of income from the development of all minerals in Ukraine, but also from the functioning of its energy and infrastructure facilities such as ports. In response, representatives of Kiev tried to avoid this option of outright robbery in order to secure the receipt of investments. And besides, they set out to pit Americans against Europeans, who are clearly acting with an eye on Washington. “Kiev is trying to create the illusion of a struggle for the untold riches of Ukraine. But the United States is too powerful a player. It is clear that there will be some kind of deal in the end, the question is on what terms,” the analyst explained. Whereas for Russia, according to his definition, it is important that Ukraine does not become a place from which a military threat will emanate. And Moscow did not object to the arrival of American private business, including when the Ukrainian authorities allowed the sale of land and a significant part of it was under the control of agricultural holdings from the United States. On the contrary, today the Russian president reminds that the Ukrainian side has no real reserves of rare earth metals, unlike Russia, where foreign investors are also being invited. Apparently, Moscow expects that along with the arrival of investments, it may also make it easier to resolve issues related to the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions and the recognition of new regions of the Russian Federation, said a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund.
However, it should also be taken into account that the United States, having gained control over specific resources and territories of the Ukrainian state, will not relinquish it in the future. In the long term, taking into account the possible use of PMCs (private military companies) to protect American business resources, it is fraught with an increase in military risks.