Kyiv has agreed terms with Washington on a minerals deal that Ukrainian officials hope will improve relations with the Trump administration and pave the way for a long-term US security commitment.
Ukrainian officials say Kyiv is now ready to sign the agreement on jointly developing its mineral resources, including oil and gas, after the US dropped demands for a right to $500bn in potential revenue from exploiting the resources.
The officials argued that they had negotiated far more favourable terms and depicted the deal as a way of broadening the relationship with the US to shore up Ukraine’s prospects after three years of war.
… then what, exactly, remains in the deal?
I can’t help but still feel this is a bad idea.
Totally. But Ukraine’s in an impossible situation. The US running a protection racket is fucking disgusting.
A protection racket involves actual protection though, the USA has specifically said no security agreements will be made.
I’m not sure wtf Ukraine is giving them rights for.
It is disgusting, but I also don’t see what Ukraine gets out of this. It’s not a protection racket if protection isn’t provided in exchange. I don’t know that I would even rightly call it extortion, since I don’t think Ukraine signing this will affect Trump’s behavior as a Putinist puppet.
I hope the stress and necessity of looking after his own country during wartime, not to mention dozens of other national leaders, hasn’t led Zelensky or his team to underestimate just how ghoulish and empty Trump is, or how fucked US politics are at the moment, if they’re hoping for a “Come to Jesus” moment from the GOP or judiciary if Trump blatantly turns against Ukraine.
I’m sure they know exactly who and what Trump is. I don’t think it’ll change Trump’s behaviour either. I’m assuming they’re just gambling against the odds that it will because the near future without the US is much harder for Ukraine than it is with them.
I hope that they’re stalling, or that the agreement is just something that looks good to Trump’s shit-clogged brain without promising anything substantial. Or something with a subtle poison pill or loophole in it of some sort that would make ‘calling in’ the benefits difficult, at least for so long as the war goes on.
But I’m inclined to agree that this seems like they’re just gambling that any chance of US help is better than none.
Still. I really hope it isn’t.
Well, my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people, but obviously they don’t need Trump invading as well. Would he follow through? All I can say is I’m not convinced he wouldn’t.
So ashamed of my country these days…