Steve Witkoff, United States President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, has stated that he expects Ukraine to sign an agreement on the use of Ukraine’s natural resources in the upcoming days.
Witkoff said that President of Ukraine Volodymr Zelenskyy had wavered in his commitment to the deal a week ago. “The President [Trump] sent a message to him. He’s not wavering anymore,” Witkoff said.
The special envoy noted that ”…He [Zelenskyy] realises that we have done so much and that that agreement belongs being signed. And I think you’ll see it signed this week.”
Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, has reported a constructive round of negotiations with the US side regarding an agreement on granting Washington a share of the country’s mineral resources.
“We are making progress in our work. We are having a constructive discussion. The US is our partner, and we are grateful to the American people, grateful for bipartisan support – you have been with us for all three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Yermak said.
However, on 23 February, the Ukrainian president said that he was not going to recognize the agreement under which Ukraine would owe the United States 500 billion dollars. Zelenskyy said that the US conditions under the subsoil agreement had the nature of a debt that Ukraine had to pay to the USA.
“I know we had 100 (billion dollars from the US – ed.) and I’m not going to admit 500, no matter who says what,” Zelenskyy noted.
He also added that he does not want to recognize the 100 billion commitment, because he does not consider financial aid from the US as a debt.
“I do not sign what will be paid by ten generations of Ukrainians,” emphasized Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy added that the terms of the subsoil agreement with the US obliged Ukraine to return twice as much money as the US would give to Ukraine. He compared aid to Ukraine to Israel, noting the unfair approach to Ukraine.
Related:
- 100% US financial control: Trump’s new Ukraine minerals deal revealed
- Ukraine aims for constructive talks with US on mineral deal and security guarantees
- CNN: US demands more from Ukraine in mineral deal than spent on its defense, source says
- US, Russia hold five-hour talks in Saudi Arabia without Ukraine’s participation
