Zelensky: "A Fair Deal for Both Sides"
More Favorable Than the Draft... Positive Response from Ukrainian Public
Trump Says Agreement "Could Deter" Putin
The United States and Ukraine signed a mineral agreement on the 30th of last month (local time). Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the mineral agreement signed with the United States on the 30th of last month (local time), stating on May 1 that it is a fair deal for both sides.
The previous day, after prolonged negotiations, the United States and Ukraine signed an agreement in Washington to establish the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. The core of this agreement is the joint development of Ukraine's critical mineral resources by both parties.
The agreement includes several provisions that are more favorable to Ukraine than those in the draft proposed by the United States. In particular, the key element is that the future U.S. military aid contributions can be considered as contributions to the newly established fund.
Foreign media reported that although the agreement does not include specific security guarantees for Ukraine, it does specify a strategic partnership with the United States and omits compensation for previous U.S. security assistance, making it advantageous for Ukraine.
Public opinion in Ukraine has also responded positively to the outcome. Ukrainian lawmaker Inna Sovisun commented, "We were not choosing between good and evil, but rather faced a situation where we had to choose the lesser evil," adding that "it is better than the original draft."
President Zelensky held a summit with President Trump at the White House on February 28. However, after an unprecedented public confrontation in diplomatic history, the talks ended in a 'no deal' breakdown. The two leaders had planned to sign the mineral agreement, but clashed over the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine. President Trump canceled the closed-door meeting, telling President Zelensky, "Come back when you are ready to discuss a peace agreement."
The Financial Times (FT) of the United Kingdom assessed, "It is the first achievement in seven months since President Zelensky proposed a deal to President Trump last September to exchange U.S. military support for economic compensation." The remaining steps include ratification by the Ukrainian parliament and agreement on detailed implementation measures.
With the United States and Ukraine reaching a mineral agreement after three months of negotiations, the deal has emerged as the biggest variable in the peace talks to end the Ukraine war, now in its third year and second month. According to AFP and other sources, President Trump was asked at a town hall event hosted by NewsNation on the 30th, immediately after the mineral agreement was signed, whether the agreement could 'deter' Russian President Vladimir Putin. He replied, "Maybe it could."
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