WASHINGTON: In what President Donald Trump’s administration described as a new kind of US commitment to Kyiv following the termination of military aid, the United States and Ukraine finalized a minerals pact on Wednesday after a two-month delay.
After lengthy discussions, Ukraine claimed to have gained important interests, such as complete sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are mostly unexplored and essential for future technologies.
After Russia invaded just over three years ago, Trump first sought rights to Ukraine’s natural wealth as restitution for the billions of dollars in US armaments that former President Joe Biden had provided.
After some initial hesitancy, Ukraine agreed to a minerals agreement in order to guarantee US long-term investment.
