The United States and Ukraine sign an agreement on the exploitation of Ukrainian minerals.

WashingtonMore than two months have passed since Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House without signing the agreement for the exploitation of Ukrainian minerals. after Donald Trump booed him in the Oval Office. While negotiations to achieve a battlefield truce with Russia have continued to advance – although so far only with Minimum agreements that are impossible to meet due to Vladimir Putin's demands–, talks on the rare earths agreement had continued to take place in the background. Finally, Washington and Kiev have already signed the document that grants the US access to Ukrainian resources, including aluminum, graphite, crude oil, and natural gas, according to Bloomberg.

Late this afternoon, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the signing of the pact. The United States and Ukraine are working together to strengthen the Reconstruction Partnership to help accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery. "Economic security is national security," Bessent said in a statement.

The White House describes the agreement as an "economic partnership" between the two countries to "work collaboratively and invest jointly to ensure that our shared assets, talent, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery."

Ukrainian Economy Secretary Yulia Svyrydenko, who flew to Washington on Wednesday to finalize details of the agreement, also confirmed her signing. "On behalf of the Government of Ukraine, I signed the Agreement Establishing a U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. Together with the United States, we are creating a fund that will attract global investment to our country," Svyrydenko wrote in a post on X. ~BK explained the points of the agreement, among which stands out that Ukraine "does not have any obligatory debt to the United States." Trump has always demanded an exploitation agreement from Kiev in return for the military support provided during the three years of war. In the first attempt to sign the agreement, Washington wanted Ukraine to recognize the shipment of arms and other forms of support as a debt, although Zelensky had already made it clear that he refused to accept an agreement of that magnitude.

Furthermore, the pact "complies with the Constitution and maintains the course of Ukraine's European integration." Therefore, it also dispels doubts about Ukraine's community future in the EU, after the US president had already announced that he would have to give up his aspirations to join NATO in order to reach an agreement with Russia.

Several American media outlets had already reported that the agreement to exploit the Ukraine's strategic minerals agreement was set to be signed this Wednesday. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Xmihal said on national television that Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko was heading to Washington. "We are finalizing the details with our American colleagues. When they are finalized, I expect the agreement to be signed soon, within the next 24 hours," Xmihal said.

The pact involves all mineral resources, including oil and gas, as well as major energy assets throughout Ukraine. Trump once even hinted at the idea of controlling the country's nuclear power plants. According to the Associated Press, there is a main agreement and at least two technical agreements that specify the details for the creation of a joint fund in the invaded country.

Ukraine is a veritable "treasure trove" of critical minerals like lithium. Before the Russian invasion broke out in 2022, during a meeting of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (EEC), it was noted that approximately 5% of all the world's "critical raw materials" were in Ukraine. In fact, Trump himself had already located the country on the map long before the war began. Amid the technological race and the trade war with China, Ukraine's minerals are extremely valuable to the American president. Especially after Beijing banned the export to the United States of key minerals for the production of chips and semiconductors last year.

Security Commitment

One of the central points of the rare earths agreement was whether Ukraine could secure a commitment to security guarantees from the United States. When Zelensky traveled to Washington in February, he had initially renounced the guarantees, but after the booing, the Ukrainian president changed his position again and described the draft as an invitation to "sell out" his country.

After that first public rupture, Zelensky also made it clear that he would not accept Trump's condition that the military aid received during the war be recognized as debt. The US president wanted this clause as another way to collect on the support Kiev has received in the form of donations.

Last Sunday, after the meeting between Zelensky and Trump at the Vatican, the Ukrainian prime minister assured that the agreement would not include the US aid that had previously been provided to Kiev. Even so, Kiev insists that his negotiating teams have obtained a significant concession from the Trump administration. "We have clearly defined our red lines; the agreement must comply with European obligations and not contradict the Constitution and legislation of Ukraine," said Xmihal after meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. On April 18, both countries had already signed a memorandum that represented a first step towards reaching an agreement on the exploitation of Ukrainian resources.

The signing of the agreement comes after Donald Trump's first 100 days in office and just days after Russia launched one of the worst attacks on Kiev in months. It was then that the president made a post on Truth Social in which he called "Vladimir, STOP." Trump distanced himself from Putin, once again urging an end to the war, although the pressure remains on Ukraine: both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have threatened that the United States will abandon the negotiating table if a peace agreement is not reached soon. In parallel with the negotiations, the The United States has already begun withdrawing troops from the Polish border with Ukraine.. All under the guise of saving money.

The Treasury Secretary said the following after the signing of the minerals agreement: "This agreement sends a clear message to Russia: the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process focused on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine for the long term. (...) No state or person who has financed [it] can profit from the reconstruction of Ukraine."