The Biden administration said that money sent to Ukraine was “grants,” with no obligation to repay the U.S. Now Trump is seeking repayment via mineral rights. Zelensky should pray that Darth Trump doesn’t alter the deal any further. From Ted Snider at antiwar.com:
Normally, it is the country that defeated you in war, and not the country that defended you, that pillages you after the war. Unfortunately for Ukraine, its biggest military defender is set to pillage its resources as the two countries have now signed a minerals agreement after Trump warned that a refusal to sign would have led to “a lot of problems” for Ukraine.
Many mistakes have been made in the war over Ukraine’s minerals: Zelensky may have made a mistake in his strategy, and Trump may be mistaken in facts.
Offering Ukraine’s natural resources to the U.S. was Ukraine’s idea. As Biden yielded the White House to Trump, the Zelensky team saw Trump as less of a cold warrior and more of a transactional businessman. So, their strategy took on a new tone.
When Zelensky pitched his Ukrainian Victory Plan to the United States, he introduced a new idea: “[j]oint protection by the US and the EU of Ukraine’s critical natural resources and joint use of their economic potential.” In exchange for sustained and increased military aid, Zelensky offered the U.S and EU “an agreement… that would allow for joint investments and use of Ukraine’s natural resources, which Zelenskiy said were worth trillions of dollars.”
According to The Washington Post, Ukraine’s goal was to “convince Trump that Ukraine is not a charity case but a cost-effective economic and geostrategic opportunity that will ultimately enrich and secure the United States and its interests.”
But Zelensky’s team’s strategy was risky, and they may have miscalculated their negotiating partner. They may not have taken into consideration enough that Trump likes to be the one to come out on top of a deal or that Trump, who once called Zelensky “the greatest salesman on earth” because “[e]very time Zelensky comes to the United States he walks away with $100 billion,” never thought the U.S. should have been giving so much to Ukraine.
