The United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump stated that the newly formed economic partnership with Ukraine for the development of its natural resources “might” serve as a security guarantee for Kyiv in defending against the Russian invasion.
Trump said that he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a meeting on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral, that it would be “very good” to sign the agreement, because “Russia is much bigger and stronger.”
“Russia is simply pushing forward. It is a big, strong country, although, by the way, nowhere near as strong as the U.S.,” Trump said.
When asked by the host whether the deal could “limit” Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said “maybe,” but added that his main motive was to recover part of the costs of the military aid provided to Ukraine so far.
The agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine on critical minerals was announced just a few hours earlier, after months of often difficult negotiations.
As part of the deal, a U.S.–Ukraine Reconstruction and Investment Fund will be established. The U.S. Department of the Treasury stated that the economic partnership will enable joint efforts to accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery, emphasizing the “significant financial and material support” that Washington has provided to Kyiv since the beginning of the war with Russia in 2022.
Ukrainian Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko stated that the fund will be used for investments in fossil fuel, oil, and gas exploitation projects, as well as in infrastructure and recycling projects, which will be jointly arranged by the two countries.
