Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed Thursday that the mineral agreement signed with the United States was the result of negotiations that led to a “really equal agreement”.
In his evening speech, he noted that the agreement does not take any obligation to reimburse for assistance in the previous United States in Kyiv.
After several months of intense discussions, the United States and Ukraine have finalized an agreement which should grant Washington access to critical minerals in Ukraine and other natural resources, an arrangement which, in hope, will ensure supported support for its defense against Russia.
Ukrainian officials said that the agreement signed on Wednesday is much more advantageous for Ukraine compared to previous iterations, who said kyiv relegated to a subordinate role and granted Washington's extraordinary control over the country's resources.
This agreement, awaiting ratification by the Ukrainian Parliament, will create a reconstruction fund for Ukraine, which, according to officials, will facilitate continuous American military support.
A previous version of this agreement was about to be finalized, but was finally disrupted at a disputed meeting at the Oval Office which included US President Donald Trump, vice-president JD Vance and President Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian reactions to the agreement
Kyiv residents reacted to the United States and Ukraine in accordance with mixed feelings on Thursday.
“All new is difficult to take, whether it is negotiations or something else. I always believe and I hope that any action will give results that will lead our Ukraine to victory. Only to victory,” said Diana Abramova, a resident of kyiv.
Although he does not know the details of the agreement, the 74 -year -old university professor, Natalia Vysotska, expressed his optimism, saying: “If he has been signed, our experts must have compared the advantages and the drawbacks. I hope it will be beneficial.
But others felt more exhausted. For Iryna Vasylevska, 37 years old, the agreement recalled that “our land is only a negotiation program for the rest of the world and that we do not have our own protection.”
“My vision is that instead of strengthening ourselves, we continue to give everything,” she added. “I feel terrible because our human resources in war are considered meat. I am sure that there are other possible agreements, with the exception of those who will make us poor in all areas. ”
The agreement is concluded at a time when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as a “very critical” week for Washington's initiatives aimed at solving the conflict, which seems to have reached a dead end.
Ukraine considers this arrangement as a means of ensuring that its most important and influential ally remains involved and does not withdraw military aid, which has been crucial in its continuous fight against Russia invasion in the past three years.
Additional sources • AP
