As stated at the end of last week, Donald Trump's mass media again did what became paradoxically predictable for him – he made another tug of tug in relations with Ukraine, in the form of a fresh draft natural material agreement with Ukraine... which, in the form of which the media has revealed, is no longer in rule a contract concerning the exploitation of natural materials, but alternatively the exploitation of Ukraine as such. The fact that the fresh proposal has arrived has already confirmed authoritative factors in the US and Ukraine.
The fresh draft agreement, which reached Kiev on Friday, assumes that Ukraine is to compensate the United States in the long word for all the costs they incurred in connection with each kind of assistance to this country: military, financial and humanitarian. This project, unlike the first one, is extensive, has respective twelve pages.
The task continues to establish an American-Ukrainian private entity fund. Americans would be entitled to 50 percent of the proceeds from mining licences of all fresh Ukrainian fossil resources deposits throughout the country, not just uncommon earth metals. These deposits are listed in item in part of the documentation. These include natural gas and oil deposits. The Americans would have the right to immediately transfer the funds thus obtained outside Ukraine, so the second would not receive any certain possible that the money "work" to rebuild it.
The Americans would obtain, according to the fresh provisions, the right to Ukrainian infrastructure, including not only the mining infrastructure, but besides the processing and transport of natural materials or products for processing these minerals (e.g. fuels). In addition, if the remaining capital resources held by the funds were reinvested in Ukraine, 50% of the gross will besides go to the US.
Importantly, a fund that accumulates profits from Ukrainian natural materials would be directed by a kind of board to which the American side would delegate 3 representatives and the Ukrainian side would only send two.
The draft agreement gives the US a "first bid right" for all future licenses for the exploitation of natural resources and infrastructure investment projects and is to impose on Ukraine a ban on the sale of critical minerals to entities from countries that Washington "identifies as a strategical competitor of the United States". The meaning of these records is far beyond the economical sphere. The adoption of specified commitments by Ukraine would immediately trigger it with China, but would besides make considerable difficulties in its eventual joining the European Union, as Ukraine would operate on the European common market, keeping rules discriminating European companies in key economical sectors?
Trump's fresh proposal defines 4% as an yearly rate of interest on Ukrainian debt to Washington for not only the authoritative loans received in fresh years, but besides what Joe Biden's administration originally described as non-refundable subsidies. Ukrainians had previously powerfully rejected specified an explanation of debt. This confirms the considerable freedom in the president-businessmen's accounts, which has already calculated the full aid of his state to Kiev for half a trillion dollars, although very many commentators, and the Ukrainian side, powerfully questioned this respect.
In addition, the agreement deals with strict economical and financial matters without any political statements (Trump powerfully rejected the anticipation of joining NATO on Monday) and safety guarantees from Washington, which is the main nonsubjective of the Ukrainians, who even before Joe Biden came up with an initiative to share with the Americans their minerals in exchange for specified strategical guarantees.
The specific, specifically non-political nature of the proposed agreement emphasizes and this condition, as unofficial sources say, that the agreement would be concluded within the American legal order, the investment fund itself, the creation of which implies an agreement, would be registered in the US, or jurisdiction over its parties would have the American justice system.
By its custom, the president of the United States again increased tension on Tuesday informing Volodymyr Zelenski of the "big, large problems" in the effort to postpone the signing of the agreement named by Trump "the Agreement on uncommon earth metals", although this name no longer accurately reflects the text.
The changes seem to be a last-minute insertion. On Thursday, Zelenski calmly commented that a "framework agreement" had already been agreed and that any details had to be arranged. Despite their inflections, the Ukrainians retained their abstinence, which would most likely be a lesson from the rhetorical charge of their president, which he conducted in the White home in late February. Ukrainian abroad Minister Andrij Sybiha said on Tuesday that he had held 1 circular of consultations with the Americans on the fresh version and is working on "achieving a mutually acceptable text to sign".
It is worth adding that the fresh draft contract on the exploitation of natural materials of Ukraine appeared just after the information that Trump administration began talking about uncommon earth metals besides with Russia, as confirmed by the Kremlin, stressing that there are no findings so far.
In summary, the plan Trump threw on the table last week is even little beneficial to Ukraine than the first version that gave Zelenski this level of frustration that he broke out during a memorable fight in the White House. This detonation caused him nothing but trouble, giving the president of the United States just a pretext to strike a harsh blow in the form of a temporary halt to military aid, including intelligence. That bidding played its part in softening Zelenski's team. Now Trump starts another round.
If the agreement was to be adopted in its present form, it meant colonialism in its old form. Not even the satellite interstate agreements, but colonialism in the kind of the British East India Company, in which Ukraine became a farm of business exploitation outside the level of interstate commitments. In addition, Ukraine would become an exclusive colony for Americans who would become actual holders or pensioners on the most forward-looking, in the ruined country by war, economical sectors. Given the current economical situation in American-Russian relations, it cannot be excluded that Washington itself would sanction the implementation of any degree of Russian interests on what would stay of Ukraine. Trump clearly wants to claim his function as an arbitrator, and it seems to be an arbiter who is completely unwilling to patronise the influence of European countries.
At the same time, I think this proposal is another Trump bidding. Its result, in the event of the failure of American politics on the episode of obtaining Russian concessions, may not be so severe for Ukrainians. The attention of a more general nature is that the described draft agreement one more time revealed the level of uniteraryism, flexibility, transactionality and mercantilism of the policy of the current tenant of the White House, which should give a large deal to think to Poles, who are inactive looking for a generous and caring uncle Sam in this building. I'm sticking to my thesis. Ukraine is not fighting for any independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity. He's only fighting for the degree, scope and vector of vasalization.
Krystian Kamiński
