Kyiv and Washington on Thursday hailed a deal giving the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals as a milestone which a top American official said would allow US President Donald Trump to negotiate with Russia on a stronger basis.
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The Kremlin was silent on Wednesday’s agreement, but former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said it meant Trump had “broken the Kyiv regime” because Ukraine would have to pay for US military aid with mineral resources.
The accord, which was signed in Washington and heavily promoted by Trump, establishes a joint investment fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction as the US president tries to secure a peace settlement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The agreement also gives the US preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals projects. It is central to Ukraine’s efforts to mend ties with the White House, which frayed after Trump took office in January, but is yet to be considered by the Ukrainian parliament.
The deal will show the “Russian leadership that there is no daylight between the Ukrainian people and the American people, between our goals”, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business Network in an interview.
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“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,” he said.