Kyiv, 26 February (HS): The United States and Ukraine have agreed on a major deal. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has agreed to hand over the country’s mineral reserves to the US. US President Donald Trump, in return, will cooperate as much as possible in rebuilding war-ravaged Ukraine.
CNN has broadcast this news quoting a source. It said that everything that could have been objected to by either of the two sides was removed from the draft agreement. However, the US has not confirmed it yet. However, Ukrainian President Zelensky may visit Washington in the coming days. President Donald Trump himself gave such indications on Tuesday. He said from the Oval Office that he has heard that he is coming on Friday. It will be good if Zelensky comes. We both would like to sign the agreement together. Indeed, this will be a great achievement for America.
Earlier on Monday, it was also said that Ukraine is ready to agree to an agreement that seeks US participation in the reconstruction fund. In return, it can hand over a large part of its rare mineral reserves to the United States. The source had said that US officials opposed the security guarantees included in the draft agreement.
The Trump administration had sought a $500 billion stake in Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for earlier aid. Zelensky rejected it. It is noteworthy that Ukraine has about five percent of the world’s important minerals. These include more than 19 million tonnes of graphite reserves. Ukraine is among the top five countries producing graphite. Graphite is used to make batteries for electric vehicles. Apart from this, one-third of all lithium reserves in Europe are also in Ukraine. This is also used in batteries. Before Russia’s invasion, Ukraine produced 7 percent of titanium globally. It is a lightweight metal used in the manufacture of a wide variety of products, from airplanes to power plants.
Ukraine also has significant deposits of rare metals. It is a group of 17 elements. They are used in the production of modern weapons, wind turbines, electronics and other products. However, some mineral deposits have been occupied by Russia. According to Ukraine’s Finance Minister Yulia Sviridenko, the territories occupied by Russia now contain minerals worth $350 billion.
Hindusthan Samachar
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