US treasury secretary details five reasons why Ukraine minerals deal is vital during Kyiv visit
Pravda Ukraine
At a press conference in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Scott Bessent, US Secretary of the Treasury, has outlined five reasons why he believes a draft partnership agreement between Ukraine and the United States is essential for both countries.
Source: Ukrinform news agency, citing Bessent, as reported by European Prava
Details: Bessent noted that the document is important in terms of US President Donald Trump’s vision of a quick resolution to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Bessent stated that this would provide the Ukrainian people with further guarantees of American assistance.
In addition, such an agreement would send a strong signal to the Russian leadership about the American commitment, he said.
He emphasised that it would also convey to Americans that Ukraine and the United States not only share common values and security challenges but would also become more aligned on economic issues that take into account the interests of the American people.
Bessent said that, fourthly, the more US investment in Ukraine, the more security it would provide for the Ukrainian people, adding that he believed the Ukrainian economy would be robust once the war was over. Fifthly, he stated, a closer examination of the Ukrainian economy by the US could serve as an accelerator for post-conflict recovery.
Background:
- On Wednesday, 12 February, Bessent arrived in Ukraine on a visit. During the visit, he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Zelenskyy later stated that the United States had handed Kyiv the first draft of a “partnership agreement” that would provide for investment in Ukraine’s mineral resources in exchange for further aid.
- Last week, US President Donald Trump said he was interested in concluding a deal with Ukraine to obtain rare earth metals and other resources in exchange for arms supplies.
- Later, he added that Kyiv had “essentially agreed” to conclude a deal worth US$500 billion.
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