The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, praised the “truly fair” agreement with the United States on the exploitation of natural resources of his country, a “winning winning” partnership according to Washington, while a new Russian strike made nearly 30 injured on the night of Thursday to Friday.
The agreement, signed between kyiv and Washington after weeks of pressure and negotiations, plans to give American companies access to the extraction of minerals, oil and gas in Ukraine and to create an investment fund between the two countries.
Its conditions are much more favorable for kyiv than those of previous version rejected by the country ravaged by more than three years of war against Russia and under pressure from the United States since the return to power of Donald Trump.
“The agreement changed significantly during the preparation process. It is now a truly equitable agreement that creates significant investment opportunities in Ukraine,” said Zelensky on Thursday evening.
For his part, the American secretary to the Treasury Scott Bessent, who initialed the text Wednesday evening in Washington with his Ukrainian counterpart Ioulia Svyrydenko, praised a winning “win” partnership on Thursday.
Ukraine concentrates approximately 5% of global mining resources, but not all are used or easily exploitable. Others are in territories occupied by Moscow or threatened by the advance of the Russian forces
President Zelensky also welcomed that there is no “debt” of his country towards the United States for the tens of billions of dollars in aid already provided since 2022, as required by President Trump.
“A reconstruction fund will be created to invest in Ukraine and earn money. It is joint work with America and under fair conditions,” said Zelensky.
This agreement, on the other hand, does not provide for security guarantee for kyiv, which on which the Ukrainian president who has resisted the invasion and military offensives of Russia since February 2022.
Tensions between Ukraine and the United States culminated on February 28 during a resounding verbal jousting between MM. Trump and Zelensky in the oval office, when the American president tries to get closer to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine concentrates approximately 5% of global mining resources, but not all are used or easily exploitable. Others are in territories occupied by Moscow or threatened by the progress of the Russian forces.
The mining agreement comes in full diplomatic negotiations to get out of the armed conflict in Ukraine launched by Russia.
“It is up to them to find an agreement and put an end to this brutal conflict,” said US vice-president JD Vance on Fox News television. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also threatened in the towns once again in American mediation between kyiv and Moscow.
“We have so many problems – and I would even say even more important problems – which are being asked around the world,” he also said on Fox News: “What is happening with China is more important in the long term for the future of the world”.
On the ground, the bombings continued on both sides of the front.
Nearly 30 people, including a 13 -year -old teenager, were injured during the night of Thursday to Friday in a Russian strike against civil infrastructure – buildings, university, locomotive repair workshops – in Zaporijia, in eastern Ukraine.
Earlier, two people succumbed to a drone strike in a residential area in Odessa, in the south, the Ukrainian emergency services denounced a “massive Russian attack”.
Mr. Zelensky once again urged to do “additional pressure on Russia” to “force it (…) to negotiate”.
And in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow, seven people were killed and around twenty others were injured in a massive strike of Ukrainian drones which affected an Olechky market, in the Southern Kherson region, said Vladimir Saldo, the local leader appointed by Moscow.
He accused the Ukrainian army of having carried out a “double strike”, a tactic about which kyiv has several times accused the Russian army of resorting and which consists in launching a second attack in the same place shortly after the first impact.
And to kill or hurt people who came to help first victims.
While separate diplomatic negotiations launched by the Americans, with Russians and Ukrainians, seem to be deadlocked, President Putin decreed a unilateral ceasefire from May 8 to 10.
Russia organizes on May 9 a large military parade in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, in the presence of around twenty leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A 30-hour ceasefire had been decreed in April by Russian President for Easter.
But Moscow and kyiv have accused themselves of having violated him, even if the fighting had fallen in intensity.
