Ukraine insists that the mineral deal with the US is only a first step, and its success will depend on whether US President Donald Trump eventually moves towards a much broader agreement that includes security guarantees, on Wednesday, the 26th of February, reports Politico.
Trump is currently expected to sign the deal on Friday, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Washington.
Trump sees the minerals agreement as a way to force Kyiv to repay America for the aid it has received since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin invaded in February 2022.
Ukraine, for its part, says the “framework deal” will not reimburse the US for aid previously provided, but it could be a significant first step towards security guarantees for Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said that the preliminary deal does not include real financial commitments and geological details. This cooperation will have to be spelled out in a later agreement, subject to parliamentary approval, and will be part of a broader package, including provisions on security, he added.
“This is a start. A framework deal. It can be a great success, or or just pass along.
Its success will depend on our conversation with President Trump, whether I understand the bigger picture that he sees, whether I understand that this is part of a broader security guarantee for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy explained.
France and other European allies are also urging Washington to commit to security guarantees. France and Britain have suggested that their troops could act as peacekeepers but want a commitment from Trump that he will offer military “support”.
However, Trump has been vague about any such commitment and suggested that the Europeans would not need “a lot of support” from the US because he is convinced that Putin wants peace. He has argued that Russia would not dare to attack if the US pursued its projects in Ukraine and has pointed out that Europe should do the heavy lifting on security and that the US would offer only limited guarantees.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Washington on Thursday to continue discussions on the level of American support.
Ahead of his trip to Washington, Zelenskyy said he would seek clarification on whether Trump would continue to provide military support to Ukraine after the signing of the framework deal, which the US President hinted at on Tuesday.
“I will understand everything after talking to Trump. The most important thing for me is to find out whether the US will stop military aid or not,” he said. “If it is stopped, will we be able to buy arms directly from the US, say using Russia’s frozen assets?”
Overall, Zelenskyy explained that the deal should not be seen as a victory for Trump in recovering a large debt, as it will only focus on a number of joint future projects for upcoming payments. Trump’s multi-billion-dollar demands were dropped from the latest version of the deal, and Zelenskyy said he was only prepared to discuss future arms payments to the US, not past ones.
“The current version does not look bad. All the main issues we had with it have been eliminated. The main thing is that we are no longer debtors. We are not 500 billion dollars in debt, not 300 billion dollars, not even 100 billion dollars in debt. And that was the main thing for me, because if we agreed to that, it would open Pandora’s box,” he said.
The idea behind the framework deal is that Ukraine and the US will be 50/50 co-owners of an investment fund that will implement resource projects in Ukraine, with the proceeds going towards the reconstruction of the country.
Although this is only a preliminary deal, some European countries hope that this level of involvement will encourage Trump to take a more active role in protecting Ukraine.