Trump Administration: "The Best Way to Support Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure"
The Trump administration in the United States appears to be trying to include economic assets other than minerals in the 'mineral agreement' with Ukraine.
Donald Trump, President of the United States (left), and Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the British daily Financial Times on the 21st (local time), two Ukrainian officials said that the United States wants Ukraine to agree not only to the detailed provisions regarding ownership and control of the joint mineral investment fund but also to have other economic assets, such as Ukrainian nuclear power plants, owned by the United States.
Earlier, on the 19th, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed interest in Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the call, the two leaders discussed Ukraine's security issues as well as Ukraine's power supply network and nuclear power plants. President Trump said, "The United States can be a great help in operating nuclear power plants based on its expertise in power and utilities."
The Trump administration also explained that "U.S. ownership of (Ukrainian) nuclear power plants is the best way to protect Ukraine's infrastructure and support its energy infrastructure."
The nuclear power plant under discussion is the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently under Russian control. The Zaporizhzhia plant is located on the Dnipro River, 650 km southeast of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Since March 2022, shortly after the start of Russia's invasion, it has been under Russian military control.
The mineral agreement between the United States and Ukraine was scheduled to be signed on the 28th of last month but was canceled in a 'no-deal collapse' after a verbal dispute between President Trump and President Zelensky.
The United States has demanded mining rights for key minerals such as rare earth elements buried within Ukrainian territory, citing compensation for military support to Ukraine.
Ukraine has demanded security guarantees to prevent Russia's re-invasion in exchange for signing the agreement, but the United States has refused explicit and concrete security guarantees.
President Trump announced the day before that "the mineral agreement with Ukraine regarding rare earth minerals will be signed very soon."
However, two senior Ukrainian officials involved in the negotiations said that the Trump administration has not yet presented new terms for the mineral agreement.
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