The mineral agreement with Ukraine shows how interested US President Donald Trump is in a lasting peace, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said.
“We have entered into a historic agreement to create the Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. This is a first-of-its-kind economic partnership for Ukraine’s recovery and long-term economic success, which benefits both the United States and Ukraine,” the spokeswoman said during the briefing.
The partnership represents Washington’s economic interest in ensuring “a peaceful and sovereign future for Ukraine,” she said.
“President Trump has made it clear from the beginning that he wants the killing in this brutal war to stop. This agreement shows how interested the president is in ensuring a truly lasting peace,” Levitt added.
Ukraine and the USA signed an agreement on 30 April on economic partnership and the creation of an Investment Fund for Recovery. According to Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliya Sviridenko, the document stipulates, among other things, that full ownership and control will remain with Ukraine, the fund will be created 50/50, there will be no debt obligations of Ukraine to the USA, the agreement will not become an obstacle for Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and the fund will be filled with revenues exclusively from new licences.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stressed that the agreement “clearly signals” to Russia that President Donald Trump’s administration is committed to a peace process “focused on a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”
Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal announced that the government would hold consultations tomorrow, 1 May, with the heads of factions, groups and the Verkhovna Rada leadership on the ratification of the agreement with the US.
Donald Trump has been pushing the deal since the start of his second presidential term in January. The two sides were ready to sign the natural resources agreement in February, but the signing was postponed after a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office turned into a dispute.
The US is seeking access to more than 20 raw materials deemed strategically important to its interests. These include deposits of titanium, which is used to make aircraft wings and other aerospace products, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. Ukraine also has deposits of lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in batteries for electric cars.