HUGE WIN: US, Ukraine sign rare earth mineral deal
President Donald Trump just delivered a masterclass in dealmaking: the United States and Ukraine inked a major agreement that gives America access to Ukraine’s natural resources, including rare earth minerals, oil, and natural gas.
According to the Treasury Department, the deal is an acknowledgment of the “significant financial and material support” that the United States has provided to Ukraine since Russia invaded the nation on February 24, 2022.
Described as an “economic partnership,” the deal allows the U.S. and Ukraine to “work collaboratively and invest together to ensure that our mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery.”
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent credited Trump’s “tireless efforts to secure lasting peace” as the lynchpin behind the historic deal establishing the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.
“As the President has said, the United States is committed to helping facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war,” Bessent said in a statement. “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered 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,” he continued. “And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.”
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's economic development minister, confirmed on X that she signed the agreement.
“Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment into our country,” Svyrdenko added.
The White House highlighted long-term returns for both nations, including a fund that will receive 50% of royalties, license fees, and other similar payments from natural resource projects in Ukraine.
“Natural resource projects will include minerals, hydrocarbons, and related infrastructure development. If the United States decides to acquire these resources for ourselves, we will [be] given first choice to either acquire them or designate the purchaser of our choice. Economic security is national security, and this important safeguard prevents critical resources from falling into the wrong hands,” the White House said.
The Trump administration noted that no state, company, or person “who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine, including participation in projects supported by fund resources.”
