.png?locale=en)
Alsharq Tribune- World News
Ukraine and the United States have signed an economic partnership agreement to co-develop Ukrainian natural resources including critical minerals.
Ukraine's economy ministry announced that its First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent agreed in Washington on Wednesday to establish the Reconstruction Investment Fund.
Ukraine says the fund will be jointly managed by Ukraine and the United States, and will invest in projects aimed at extracting the minerals, oil and gas, as well as related infrastructure and processing.
The announcement notes that all resources in Ukraine's territory and in its territorial waters belong to Ukraine, and stresses that neither party will hold a dominant vote as a reflection of equal partnership between the two countries.
Under the deal, the US will contribute to the fund either through direct financial input or new military assistance, which may include the provision of air defense systems for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian announcement says the deal reflects the US commitment to lasting peace in Ukraine, but avoided mentioning security guarantees that it has been asking the US to provide.
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department released a statement on the deal.
It says, "This economic partnership positions our two countries to work collaboratively and invest together to ensure that our mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery."
In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump had a heated exchange at the White House, and the deal was not signed at that time.
Observers are closely watching to see whether the US-Ukrainian deal will have any impact on discussions over a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
