The United States and Ukraine are finalizing a mineral resources agreement. The deal will provide the US with access to Ukraine’s valuable reserves of rare earth minerals such as lithium, titanium, in exchange for investment in Ukraine’s reconstruction. However, significant challenges remain, including the fact that many mineral deposits are in Russian-occupied areas and that mining infrastructure has been heavily damaged by the ongoing war. Additionally, tensions persist over whether Ukraine will be required to repay past US financial assistance, with Zelensky rejecting any debt obligations as part of the deal. 

Michael Kimmage, Director of the Kennan Institute, comments on the negotiations. He talks about what it symbolizes, how Russia and Europe have responded, Ukraine’s minerals and their potential benefits to the US, and the general structural shift in US-Ukraine relations.