US‑Ukraine resource deal: A united front against Russia
During a Thursday interview with Fox Business Network, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the mineral resources agreement signed between the United States and Ukraine sends a clear message to Russia: both nations share aligned objectives and a unified stance.
On May 1st, Ukraine announced that it had signed an agreement with the United States on cooperation regarding natural resources and national reconstruction.
The signing of the agreement on resources was commented on Thursday by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who emphasized that its signing is a signal to Russia that there is no fundamental difference between the goals of the American and Ukrainian nations.
Discussions around such an agreement had been ongoing for months, as Ukraine was initially hesitant to agree to the conditions presented by the American side regarding participation in the extraction of Ukrainian resources.
- We'll be dig, dig, diggin (rare earth metals - editor's note). In February, shortly before a tense meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky concluded in disagreement, President Trump emphasized that the United States' involvement signified a substantial and determined commitment to being actively present in the initiative.
As recently as April, both sides were working on the final content of the agreement. The text presented to Ukraine does not fully reflect Ukraine’s approach, the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister said earlier this month.
US Treasury Secretary on Ukraine: our goals are the same
The American people don't make any money if Ukrainians don't prosper. So now we are fully aligned in terms of economics. And again, I think this is a strong signal to the Russian leadership, and it gives President Trump the ability to now negotiate with Russia on even a stronger basis.
- This is a total economic partnership. This isn't just rare earth, it's infrastructure, it's energy. So there's the opportunity here for both sides to really win, he added.
Under the agreement, an American-Ukrainian Investment Fund for Reconstruction will be established, which will invest in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Both sides will jointly manage it, and the funds from the fund are to be directed exclusively to Ukraine.
The USA and Ukraine are to make equal contributions to the fund, and for the USA, the value of future military aid will be considered additional contributions. Ukraine is to contribute half of the revenues from exploiting new resource deposits to the fund.
This is not the only groundbreaking decision by the United States regarding Ukraine made in recent hours. "Kyiv Post" reported on Thursday that the USA intends to approve the sale of weapons to Ukraine worth at least CAD 68 million. According to the service's sources, the Trump administration informed Congress of its decision on Wednesday. This is the first such decision since the start of the second term of the US president.
"Crippling" sanctions on Russia. Senator: we have support
On Wednesday, another warning signal to Russia was sent by a close associate of President Trump, Senator Lindsey Graham. If Russia does not engage in serious negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, the United States is ready to announce new, harsh sanctions, he declared.
According to a bill seen by Bloomberg News, the sanctions would include tariffs on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium.
Senator Graham confirmed that he has the support of 72 senators for the bill that would introduce "crippling" sanctions against Russia, as well as tariffs on countries that buy resources from it, reported Bloomberg.
