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FriedButter

Colonel
Registered Member
Time to bend the knee Elensky

The knee has been bent.

Ukraine agrees minerals deal with US​

Kyiv has agreed terms with Washington on a minerals deal that Ukrainian officials hope will improve relations with the Trump administration and pave the way for a long-term US security commitment.

Ukrainian officials say Kyiv is now ready to sign the agreement on jointly developing its mineral resources, including oil and gas, after the US dropped demands for a right to $500bn in potential revenue from exploiting the resources.

Although the text lacks explicit security guarantees, the officials argued that they had negotiated far more favourable terms and depicted the deal as a way of broadening the relationship with the US to shore up Ukraine’s prospects after three years of war.

“The minerals agreement is only part of the picture. We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it’s part of a bigger picture,” Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and justice minister who has led the negotiations, told the Financial Times on Tuesday.

The original draft’s highly onerous terms — which President Donald Trump presented as a means of Ukraine repaying the US for military and financial aid since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion — provoked outrage in Kyiv and other European capitals.

After President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected that initial text last week, Trump called him a “dictator” and appeared to blame Ukraine for starting the war.

The final version of the agreement, dated February 24 and seen by the FT, would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 per cent of proceeds from the “future monetisation” of state-owned mineral resources, including oil and gas, and associated logistics. The fund would invest in projects in Ukraine.

It excludes mineral resources that already contribute to Ukrainian government coffers, meaning it would not cover the existing activities of Naftogaz or Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s largest gas and oil producers.

However, the agreement omits any reference to US security guarantees which Kyiv had originally insisted on in return for agreeing to the deal. It also leaves crucial questions such as the size of the US stake in the fund and the terms of “joint ownership” deals to be hashed out in follow-up agreements.

After three years in which the US was Kyiv’s primary military aid donor, Trump has overturned Washington’s policy by opening bilateral talks with Russia, without any European allies or Ukraine at the table.

Ukrainian officials said the deal had been approved by the justice, economy and foreign ministers, and held out the prospect of Zelenskyy travelling to the White House in the coming weeks for a signing ceremony with Trump.

“This will be a chance for the president to discuss what the bigger picture is. And then after it, we will be able to think of the next steps,” said one official.

The Trump administration’s initial sweeping proposal called for a reconstruction investment fund in which the US “maintains 100 per cent financial interest”. Ukraine would contribute 50 per cent of the fund’s revenues from mineral resource extraction, including oil and gas and associated infrastructure, up to a maximum of $500bn.

Those terms, described as unacceptable by Ukrainian officials, have been removed from the final draft.

The mandate for the fund to invest in Ukraine is a further change Kyiv had sought. The document states the US will back Ukraine’s economic development into the future.

Ukrainian officials added that the deal was just a “framework agreement” and that no revenues would change hands until the fund was in place, allowing them time to iron out any potential disagreements. Among the outstanding issues is to agree the jurisdiction of the agreement.

Zelenskyy’s government will also have to seek approval from Ukraine’s parliament, where opposition MPs have signalled they will at the very least have a heated debate before ratifying such a deal.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday that it was “critical that this deal is signed”, though she did not provide an update on the talks.
The final version of the agreement, dated February 24 and seen by the FT, would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 per cent of proceeds from the “future monetisation” of state-owned mineral resources, including oil and gas, and associated logistics. The fund would invest in projects in Ukraine.
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pmc

Major
Registered Member
Sure.

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I think people grossly overestimate Putin. He was finessed by Merkel & Hollande. He was finessed by Erdogan. His image as a wise and cunning leader is totally unwarranted IMO.
Putin is effective leader when you consider he got a leftist Soviet bureaucracy from republics that keep it in conflict with Israel and Gulf Arabs for longest period of time. That Israeli vote against Ukraine is not a minor accomplishment when this Lavrov is hardly welcome in Israel.

 

Overbom

Brigadier
Registered Member
Know how Trump operates this is a very bad move. Concessions only embolden him, and he will push for more until there is nothing more to concede.
Don't slander Comrade Trump!

We are making history here. First European slave country in modern times! Winning bigly!

Every move he makes is as majestic as the sun, every executive order he signs lets rivers of ink fly through the world. Every sneeze of his, produces tremendous wind energy for eons

One word, one order, and we got our first slave state. Tremendous!

Onwards Mr. President, onwards!
Promises made, promises kept. He said it and he kept his word:
"And you'll say, 'Please, please. It's too much winning. We can't take it anymore. Mr. President, it's too much.' "

Slava Ukraine!
 

GOODTREE

Junior Member
Registered Member
Foreign Ministry: China urges Canada to immediately reverse wrong decision

BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- (Reporters Ma Zhuoyin and Cao Jiayue)
In response to Canada's announcement of sanctions against Chinese entities, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on the 25th: the Canadian side's approach is unreasonable, very wrong, China firmly opposed, has made solemn representations to the Canadian side in this regard.

  The day of the regular press conference, a reporter asked: February 24, Canada issued a statement announcing the implementation of sanctions against 76 foreign entities and individuals to Russia to provide military and civilian dual-use items support, including more than 20 Chinese entities, may I ask the Chinese side of this comment?

  Lin Jian said that China has always opposed unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council. The Canadian side's sanctions against Chinese entities are unjustified and very wrong, and China firmly opposes them and has made solemn representations to the Canadian side in this regard.

  Lin Jian said that China has always maintained an objective and impartial position on the Ukrainian issue, is committed to promoting a political solution to the crisis, never provides lethal weapons to the parties to the conflict, strictly controls the export of dual-use items, and has the most stringent scope of control and measures for the export of drones in the world. Like other countries, China carries out normal economic and trade cooperation with Russia on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, which is reasonable and beyond reproach.

  “China urges the Canadian side to immediately revoke the wrong decision. We will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.” Lin Jian said.

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RedBaron

Junior Member
Registered Member
Tesla shares sank 8% on Tuesday and have now lost most of their gains that followed President Donald Trump’s election victory in November.

The stock has plunged 25% this year, while the Nasdaq is down just 1.5%.

Reuters reported on Monday that the company’s long-awaited upgrade of its partially automated driving system in China left owners unimpressed.

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4Runner

Junior Member
Registered Member
I think I figured out why Trump has been escalating assault on Zelenskyy.

Trump's plan was:
(1) Sing an agreement between US and Ukraine on $500B minerals. Not free because US would have to invest first.
(2) US will send troops to protect the mineral areas as DMZs.
(3) The result would make de facto US military presence in Ukraine.
(4) Russia would have to come to the negotiation table with something they want/need: US withdrawal.
(5) US would have a better bargain than as-is on the ground today.

Trump sent Vance and Bessent to meet or call Zelenskyy. Vance was at MSC and thinking he had a deal with Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy openly contradicted US narrative, which means he would not buy into Trump's "art of deal" on Ukraine peace process. Trump needs a bigly win and thought he would have one with this Ukraine plan, which Zelenskyy refused to cooperate. Trump is done with Zelenskyy.

Joke or conspiracy aside, there is one factor on the ground: I am fairly certain Trump lacks big bargaining chips vis-a-vis Putin. Any agreement that makes Putin an obvious winner will produce very bad optics for Trump in the eyes of the west. There was one legitimate crack and Zelenskyy trashed it because he could not afford that agreement domestically.

A dilema. A quagmire. A conundrum ...... That was the number one reason Trump wanted to meet Xi ASAP ......

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Well, I guess, the drama is still on. Zelenskyy cannot afford pissing off Trump.
 
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