Starting next week, the Ukrainian government will begin serious work on a deal regarding natural resources and security guarantees with the administration of US President Donald Trump, says Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk, according to NHK.
Recently, US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia after US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and the refusal to sign a rare minerals investment deal. The Ukrainian leader declined to sign a US agreement on resource transfers worth $500 billion, stating that Ukraine had received only $98.5 billion from the US since 2022. The agreement also lacked security guarantees or assurances of further military aid, alongside other unfavorable terms.
Stefanchuk reveals that a government expert group will begin working on the rare earth mineral agreement starting on 24 February. He emphasized that Ukraine is ready to cooperate with partners on the deal, but it seeks specific security guarantees to protect the state from Russia’s future attacks.
The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament also mentions that Kyiv intends to hold constructive discussions and aims to hold a summit with US representatives as soon as possible.
Commenting on Donald Trump’s statements about the necessity of elections in Ukraine, Stefanchuk has noted that Ukrainian law strictly prohibits elections during martial law. He also points out that elections will not be fair in the context of an all-out war, as military personnel will not be able to participate.
At the same time, Stefanchuk emphasizes that for the war to end, Russia must not only leave Ukraine’s territory and return all occupied areas but also bear responsibility for its actions. Specifically, Russia must pay reparations to all those affected during the war.
Earlier, Ukrainian deputy Yehor Cherniev, head of Ukraine’s delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said that Kyiv remains open to a deal, but it must be fair and benefit Ukraine.
“We have been a loyal friend and ally of the US for many years, and the attitude toward us as a colony or an enemy on whom reparations are imposed is offensive and incomprehensible to us,” said Cherniev.
Kyiv has long insisted that Ukraine’s security guarantees are not charity but a NATO security issue.
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