France Movement on US raw materials agreement with Ukraine after dispute
After days of dispute between the USA and Ukraine, there are signs of movement on the issue of a raw materials agreement.
21.02.2025, 05:40
SDA
"Ukraine is ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement with the President of the United States," wrote Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Platform X.
He had previously met US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in Kiev. The meeting was productive and the discussion with Kellogg was good, Selensky reported. However, Kellogg did not go in front of the press with Selenskyj as planned. A press conference was canceled at the request of the US side, as reported by Ukrainian media.
Trump is linking US aid for Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia, to access to its reserves of rare earths. The deposits are considered economically lucrative and strategically important. However, Selenskyj rejected an initial draft agreement from Washington. According to reports, the USA demanded 50 percent of the income from these raw materials and wanted to be paid back for the military aid provided to date.
According to Kiev, security guarantees against continued Russian aggression were not included in the document. "We must and can achieve a strong and lasting peace so that Russia can never return with war," explained Selensky.
Amended draft treaty from Washington
In the meantime, the Trump administration has sent a new draft agreement to Kiev, reported the US news portal "Axios". Some points that were unacceptable to Ukraine had been changed, according to sources involved in the negotiation process.
Zelenskyi should return to the negotiating table, demanded Trump's security advisor Mike Waltz. "These are negotiations. And in negotiations you negotiate." There could be no better guarantee for Ukraine than US investment in its long-term prosperity, he said.
Waltz attributed Trump's insults in recent days to anger over Zelenskyi's hesitation. "The president has obviously made his frustration very public because we have given the Ukrainians an incredible and historic opportunity for the US to co-invest in Ukraine," Walz told the Trump-affiliated US broadcaster Fox News. The US president had called Zelensky a dictator who would not allow elections. He also claimed that Ukraine was to blame for the ongoing war.
Special envoy on fact-finding mission
As Trump's envoy, Kellogg is exploring the situation in the Eastern European country during a visit lasting several days with the political and military leadership. Ukraine has been resisting the Russian invasion for almost three years. The USA has been the country's most important supporter to date, but Trump is drastically turning away from this course. He wants to end the war - but there are growing fears that he could make decisions with Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin over Ukraine's head.
Two dollar investment in drones causes ten dollar damage
In his evening video message, Selensky made the following calculation regarding the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian military and industrial facilities: "For every two dollars we invest in our long-range capacity, we already receive almost ten dollars in Russian losses".
On Thursday evening, Ukrainian forces continued drone strikes deep into Russian territory. According to the authorities, a substation in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar was damaged twice by falling drone debris. However, Ukraine also suffered from a Russian attack with swarms of drones on Friday night.
Macron and Starmer travel to Trump
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Washington on Monday to discuss peace efforts in Ukraine with Trump. This was announced by the Élysée Palace in Paris. He wanted to convince Trump that "it is in his interest to work with the Europeans at the moment", said Macron. Trump must not allow Russia to conquer Ukraine, because otherwise European and American military equipment would also fall into Moscow's hands.
In view of Trump's unilateral approach to a possible peace solution for Ukraine, Macron had called European heads of state and government to Paris on Monday for crisis consultations. One of the issues discussed at the meeting was the question of European troops to secure a possible ceasefire. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also wants to travel to Washington next week to meet Trump. According to media reports, Starmer's aim could be to present the concept for a peacekeeping force.
British Foreign Secretary: Lavrov spreads "tired fairy tales"
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy doubts that Russia is serious about negotiating a peace solution in Ukraine. Following a speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Johannesburg, Lammy said, according to the British news agency PA: "I don't see any appetite to actually achieve this peace." They had not come close to a negotiated solution.
In his speech published by the Foreign Ministry, Lammy accused Lavrov of spreading "tired fairy tales" and "the logic of imperialism disguised as realpolitik". "If (Kremlin leader Vladimir) Putin is serious about lasting peace, then he must find a way that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and the UN Charter, that offers credible security guarantees and that rejects tsarist imperialism, and Britain is ready to listen."
UN resolution: Is the USA sealing its departure from Ukraine?
Ahead of a major Ukraine vote at the United Nations in New York, there is uncertainty about the future diplomatic line of the United States under Trump. On Monday, the UN General Assembly is due to vote on a draft resolution in support of Kiev on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Western diplomats fear that the US could use a vote to diplomatically cement its primarily rhetorical rejection of Ukraine in front of the international community.
When asked whether the USA would support the draft resolution calling for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, acting US Ambassador John Kelley said: "We have to wait and see what instructions we get from Washington, so hopefully they will come soon." If the US does not agree to the draft resolution prepared by Ukraine, it would be another step in Washington's move away from Kiev.
