President of the United States Donald Trump expressed concern regarding the intentions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to withdraw from the mineral agreement. Trump noted that if he abandons the agreement, Zelensky could face “big problems.”
This is reported by Kyiv24
“He is trying to back out of the rare earth minerals agreement. If he does, he will have problems. Big, big problems,” Trump stated during a press conference aboard Air Force One.
According to Bloomberg and the Financial Times, the new draft agreement covers all natural resources, including oil, gas, and key energy assets of Ukraine. Under the document, the Trump administration demands a “right of first refusal” on investments in all infrastructure and resource projects.
If the agreement is approved, Kyiv will be required to transfer 50% of the revenues from new infrastructure projects and natural resource development to a special investment fund. The U.S. seeks to obtain the right to be the first to claim profits that will be transferred to this fund.
Kyiv has expressed concern that such an agreement could not only threaten Ukraine’s plans to join the European Union but also lead to demands for reimbursement of all military and economic costs incurred by the U.S. since the beginning of the war.
Earlier this month, Ukraine and the U.S. agreed to finalize a deal for the development of critical mineral resources. However, an attempt to sign the agreement on February 28 failed due to a dispute between Trump and Zelensky at the White House.
On March 19, Trump and Zelensky, during a phone call characterized by the White House as “fantastic,” agreed to work together to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.