Moscow (TDI): Dmitry Medvedev, a Senior Russian Security Official, said on Thursday that finalization of minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine meant that the US President, Donald Trump, has forced Ukraine to pay for any future military aid.
The rare-earth minerals deal, which was signed between the United States and Ukraine on Wednesday, would provide US preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals.
The two countries will also create a joint investment fund, which would be capitalized by both countries from future extraction of natural resources and would be used to fund the reconstruction of Ukraine.
According to Kyiv Post, President Donald Trump had told Congress, on Wednesday, of his intention to export defense-related products to Ukraine through a direct commercial sale of $50 million.
Commenting on the deal between the United States and Ukraine, Medvedev said, “Trump has broken the Kyiv regime to the point where they will have to pay for U.S. aid with mineral resources.” “Now they (Ukrainians) will have to pay for military supplies with the national wealth of a disappearing country,” he further stated.
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The deal was signed at a time when Trump was growing frustrated with Ukraine and Russia for not making any significant progress toward ceasefire.
Recently, Moscow has announced that it is open to negotiating a peace agreement with Ukraine to end the three-year-long war, but that the conflict is extremely complex and the peace process cannot be rushed.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has advocated for an unconditional ceasefire for at least a period of 30 days. It is something President Vladimir Putin agrees in principle but after the modalities are thoroughly discussed.
The Russian President has also announced a three-day ceasefire from May 8-10, during which Moscow will hold country-wide celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory against Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
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Russia, according to the Kremlin, has an enormous amount of minerals as well, and it has held out the prospect of a cooperation deal with the United States, especially in the Arctic region.
Commenting on the minerals deal, the former advisor of the Kremlin, Sergei Markov said, “The U.S. is beginning to see itself as a sort of co-owner of Ukraine. Therefore, it will take a position that it considers pro-Ukrainian.”
He further stated that the minerals agreement between the United States and Ukraine would make it challenging for Russia to reach an agreement with Ukraine because President Trump has now set up a mechanism to “justify” new war spending.
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
