Can the US and Ukraine reach a minerals deal?
Washington is pressing Kyiv to abandon billions of dollars in mineral wealth in exchange for continued support.
Around five percent of the world’s rare earth mineral deposits are found on Ukrainian soil.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, wants to receive some of those resources in exchange for the billions that Washington has given Ukraine to support its conflict with Russia.
Trump wants Kyiv to grant the company’s $ 500 billion mineral wealth the rights to resign.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, said he can’t “sell the state” and rejected the first draft of the agreement.
When does selling the state actually begin to appear as saving it? How feasible is it to evict resources from Ukraine, where the war is raging?
Presenter: Cyril Vanier
Guests:
Peter Zalmayev – Executive director, Eurasia Democracy Initiative, political scientist and commentator
Anatol Lieven – Director, Eurasia programme at Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Source: Aljazeera
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