Senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials now plan to meet in Saudi Arabia next week.
But the agreement, described by one expert as extortion, goes well beyond minerals.
The call was quickly echoed and acted upon by government leaders andadvocatesthroughout the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting at the G20 summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.Mikhail KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP/Getty Images
It was the first step in an extensive global sanctions regime across governments.
A draft of the agreement was published by theKyiv Independentnewspaper on February 26.
No deal was signed.
Trump went so far as to assert that Ukrainemay or may notbecome a part of Russia someday.
After Russia, it has Europes largest gas storage capacity.
After Yanukovychs ouster, Chevron exited Ukraine,reportedlymotivated by a new administrations unfriendly tax environment.
Exxon and Shell soonexitedUkraine, too.
The U.S. could end up exercising a great deal of sway over the fund.
The fund will also reinvest an undetermined percentage of its revenues in Ukraine to attract further investment.
This final clarification is likely intended to protect Ukraines existing natural resource operations from the fund.
The description of the purpose of the fund is even broader in its scope.
There is no U.S. security guarantee.
Instead, it says the U.S. government supports Ukraines efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace.
Reconstruction money is traditionally provided as a grant or a loan.
If were not willing to give them a security guarantee, it just seems crazy, Gross tells me.
Popova, of McGill University.
Otherwise, Ukraine risks becoming a raw material colony for the West.
Yet the agreement contains no such provisions, including no environmental or other protections.
It fails to mention renewable energy development, and instead doubles down on fossil fuels, threatening hard-fought victories.
There are other problems with the agreement.
Zelensky interjected, saying, Very good question, thank you so much.
Trump hedged, saying, Ill study that, Ill see.
Collins pressed on, asking who would protect the American assets Ukrainian, European, or U.S. forces?
particularly if Russia tries to invade or there is Russian aggression in those spots?
The vagueness of the agreement leaves a number of critical looming questions.
They have long dominated Russian-Ukrainian relations.
His second goal in Ukraine is to secure the free flow of Russias fossil fuels.
The goals are interwoven.
In 2020, theEU receivedabout 40 percent of its natural gas imports from Russia.
On January 1, 2025, the contract between Russia and Ukraine for the pipeline expired.
Nord Stream 2 Its Alive!
It has enough capacity to cut Ukraine almost entirely out of Russias gas exports.
Russia retaliated, restricting gas supplies to Europe by25 percentin October and December,to forceGermanys hand.
Germany did not relent.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine.
Across the world, countries sought to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and increase renewable energy.
Trump and Putin have a very different agenda.
(Grenell denies this.)
Maybe that should have been enough of a clue about what this whole mess is really all about.
Saudi Arabia has the worlds second largestreserves of oil, while Russia has thelargestgas reserves.
In 2014, Russia was going to be Exxons next mega-area.
And the list of mega-areas in the world is very short, reported theFinancial Times.
Romanko is eager for peace in Ukraine, and she knows there will be costs.
