The agreement concluded between Kyiv and Washington. The United States and Ukraine set their signatures on Wednesday on a vast economic agreement between the two countries, establishing an investment fund in the reconstruction of the Ukrainian territory, devastated by the war, and giving Americans privileged access to Ukrainian natural resources. However, little information was still revealed by the two administrations.
• What does the agreement contain?
The American-Ukrainian agreement acts for the creation of a common investment fund dedicated to the reconstruction of Ukraine. This fund will be fed by the two countries.
The United States will contribute to the fund in providing “direct” financial contributions and could also “provide new assistance, for example, Air Defense Systems for Ukraine,” said Ukrainian Economy Minister Iulia Svyrydenko, in a Facebook publication. For its part, Ukraine will contribute to the operational licenses of “up to 50% of the state budget revenues of the new licenses,” he continued.
This common fund to the two countries will invest “in mining, oil and gas projects, as well as infrastructure or related processes,” he explained to the Ukrainian minister, who made the trip to Washington to sign the document. “Ukraine and the United States will determine together the specific investment projects that will be financed”, which will be “exclusively in Ukraine,” he said.
“In the first ten years, the funds and income of the fund will not be distributed” and “will only be invested in Ukraine,” said Iulia Svydenko, evoking “new projects” or “reconstruction.”
• The United States recover Ukrainian minerals?
In return, the United States should benefit from preferential access to new contracts on Ukrainian natural resources. The Ukrainian territory in fact houses significant deposits of natural resources, in particular the rare, very popular earths for its use in electronics, as well as graphite, lithium, titanium or uranium deposits.
But Ukraine “retains the property and total control” of these resources, including the basement, assured his Minister of the Economy.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, reacted on Wednesday night when he signed the agreement, believing that it was a way to recover the money that the United States paid Kyiv to support the war effort. Joe Biden “gave them 350 billion help and equipment” and “we had nothing in return,” said Donald Trump.
• Does Ukraine have a debt to Washington?
“No debt, without help” granted before the firm “is part of this agreement,” said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal, before the announcement of the text. “The agreement does not mention any Ukraine debt with the United States,” confirmed Iulia Svyrydenko.
The agreement does not seem to include security guarantees of the United States against Russia, which Ukraine requests, a point where Volodymyr Zelensky insisted.
Source: BFM TV
