
Trump’s new Ukraine proposal looks like an offer it must refuse
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. KYIV : The Trump administration expects Ukraine to quickly sign a new agreement that gives Washington broad power over its ally’s economy. The problem is that Ukraine almost certainly can’t accept the terms.
The mismatch in expectations threatens to set up the U.S. and Ukraine for a new round of conflict over what President Trump can get in return for supporting Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s invasion. A previous, less-expansive economic agreement underpinned a blowup in the White House between Trump and Vice President JD Vance on one side, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other.
“Ukrainians feel that they cannot give up their entire economic sovereignty for nothing," said Daniel Bilak, a lawyer and a partner in the Kyiv office of Kinstellar, a law firm. What started out with Trump saying in early February that he would like to get his hands on Ukraine’s “rare earths," a set of minerals used in modern technologies from cellphones to electric cars, has grown into a plan for the U.S. to draw profits from Ukrainian economic projects across metals, oil, gas, and other natural resources, as well as infrastructure projects including ports and pipelines.
The 55-page draft, a copy of which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal, is aimed at fulfilling Trump’s demand to claw back billions in military and financial aid from Ukraine that has sustained its resistance to Russia’s invasion since 2022. Trump has put the U.S. contribution at $350 billion, well above estimates by Ukraine of around $100 billion.
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