US, Ukraine sign minerals deal pushed by Trump
Al Jazeera
US Treasury’s Scott Bessent says pact is signal to Russia that US supports a ‘free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine’.
Ukraine and the United States have signed an agreement to provide Washington with access to valuable rare minerals and fund reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country.
The two countries signed the accord in Washington, DC, on Wednesday after months of fraught negotiations, with uncertainty persisting until the last moment following reports of 11th-hour proposals to change aspects of the deal.
The agreement marks a breakthrough in US-Ukraine ties after relations reached a nadir following a spectacular blow-up between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting at the White House in February.
Announcing the agreement, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the creation of the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund was a signal to Russia that the Trump administration was “committed to a peace process centred on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term”.
“President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine,” Bessent said in a statement.
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