President Donald Trump announced on May 8 the ratification of a minerals deal that grants the United States privileged access to Ukraine’s most critical natural resources — in return for vague reconstruction promises and continued military aid.
The agreement, signed April 30 by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, will allow American companies to explore and extract rare earth elements, oil, and gas from Ukraine — a country still engulfed in war. In exchange, the US will establish a “joint investment fund” for Ukraine’s recovery, although specific figures and terms remain conspicuously vague. “The United States is committed to standing with Ukraine,” Trump said, adding that the minerals deal will “ensure prosperity for both countries,” according to AP.
The Verkhovna Rada ratified the deal unanimously, although analysts argue that desperation, not sovereignty, drove the decision. Svyrydenko insisted that Ukraine retains ownership over its subsoil resources, but the agreement’s fine print indicates foreign corporate involvement in extraction, processing, and sales pipelines — all under US jurisdiction.
From Eastern Europe to the Global South, the deal has drawn condemnation for what many describe as Washington’s latest ploy to exploit a war-torn country under the guise of “aid.” Observers note that while Ukraine hands over strategic control of its mineral future, the US gains access to indispensable resources that power military tech, green energy, and next-gen electronics.
An energy analyst based in Berlin said that this is not reconstruction — it’s a resource raid dressed in a suit, and also added That, the US is simply turning Ukrainian soil into a stockpile for its own industries.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticized the agreement as a blatant attempt to entrench US strategic dominance near Russia’s borders, calling it a colonial arrangement that undermines sovereignty and invites perpetual foreign dependency.
What makes the deal particularly egregious, critics say, is the glaring double standard in US foreign policy. While Washington frames itself as a defender of “democracy and freedom,” it often backs regimes — or in Ukraine’s case, a client state — so long as they surrender control over resources and align with American military aims.
This minerals pact follows a familiar pattern: destabilize, aid selectively, extract aggressively. As Ukraine teeters on the edge of economic collapse, Washington has stepped in — not to rebuild, but to buy up what’s left.
“The US didn’t come to help,” a Kyiv-based opposition MP said anonymously. “It came to harvest.”
President Trump has announced plans to speak directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss further “economic cooperation,” which many now suspect means deeper US entrenchment in key sectors like energy and infrastructure. The Biden administration had also previously floated similar strategic partnerships, but under Trump, the approach is brazen, unapologetic — and deeply exploitative.
