No security guarantees: NYT reveals details of proposed US-Ukraine deal
Photo: Ukraine and US close to a mineral resources agreement (GettyImages)
Ukraine and the US are close to signing an agreement under which Washington will receive a share of the revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources, The New York Times reports.
US President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy could visit the White House as early as this or next week to sign the agreement on natural resources.
However, it is still unclear how this agreement relates to Ukraine’s security issues and the end of the war.
According to Trump, negotiations between Kyiv and Washington are close to completion. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna also confirmed that the agreement is in its final stage.
Agreement terms
According to The New York Times, the revised version of the agreement includes more favorable terms for Ukraine than previous drafts. However, the document still doesn't include the security guarantees Kyiv has been requesting.
Under the proposed agreement, Ukraine will transfer half of the revenues from the future monetization of its natural resources to the US. These funds will be directed into a special fund, in which the United States will receive the maximum possible share.
At the same time, a previous condition requiring Ukraine to pay the US $500 billion from its revenues from oil, gas, and minerals had been removed. Also, the clause that obligated Ukraine to transfer an amount double the size of future American aid had been canceled.
A key issue remains the absence of any security guarantees for Ukraine in the agreement. The White House believes that economic cooperation with the US itself will serve as a deterrent against Russian aggression.
However, the Ukrainian President insists that without clear security guarantees from the West, the country remains vulnerable to potential new attacks from Russia.
Last week, Trump called Zelenskyy a "dictator" and accused Ukraine of starting the war, while his administration opposed a UN resolution that recognized Russia as the aggressor.
Russia’s reaction and agreement prospects
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has already responded to the US interest in Ukrainian natural resources, stating that Russia's deposits of rare earth minerals far exceed those of Ukraine. He also suggested the possibility of cooperation with American companies, including in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
The draft agreement obtained by The New York Times states that revenues from the fund will be partially reinvested into the Ukrainian economy, but it does not specify a percentage.
The document also emphasizes long-term US economic support but does not contain commitments to military aid or the deployment of American personnel in Ukraine.
The White House maintains that US involvement in Ukraine’s economy alone will act as a deterrent against Russia, but Kyiv continues to insist on the need for clear security guarantees.
Rare Earth metals agreement
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant recently visited Kyiv to present a draft agreement with Ukraine on rare earth metals.
President Zelenskyy had previously suggested that the agreement could be signed at the Munich Security Conference, but this did not happen.
In this regard, American officials began to express disappointment. In particular, US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz noted that Donald Trump was "frustrated" with the situation.
For his part, the Ukrainian President noted that the agreement did not provide any security guarantees for the country, but only included conditions under which the US was to gain control over 50% of certain resources.
