Zelensky praises ‘truly equal' US
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday praised the recent mineral deal with the United States as a 'truly equal agreement,' reported AFP.
During his daily address, Zelensky hailed the re-worked agreement which had been in the pipeline for months, and had been delayed due to a spat with US President Donald Trump.
Also Read: US warns Russia, Ukraine of ceasing mediation efforts without concrete proposals
"Now it is a truly equal agreement that creates an opportunity for quite significant investment in Ukraine. There is no debt in the deal, and a fund, a recovery fund, will be created that will invest in Ukraine and earn money here," he said.
Both parties signed the deal on Wednesday, which will seek to develop the critical mineral resources in Ukraine. The agreement had changed significantly with compromises on both ends.
Also Read: What is US-Ukraine Reconstruction Fund, key element in new mineral deal
Earlier, Trump had stated that the deal was a way for the US to get their money back after providing wartime aid to Ukraine during its ongoing conflict with Russia. However, President Zelensky denied that there was any clauses on debt or repayment in the new agreement.
Watch: Why Zelensky should pick Putin's 'direct peace talks' offer over a Trump-mediated deal
Ukraine had also asked for security commitments as part of the deal however, these have not been explicitly mentioned in the agreement signed by the two countries. Washington has argued that boosting business interests in Ukraine would automatically act as a deterrent for Russia.
The mineral deal, which has been in the works for a long time, gives the United States priority access on investment projects involving Ukraine's aluminium, graphite, oil and natural gas resources, reported Bloomberg.
Further, through a reconstruction fund, most of the profits of these projects will go towards rebuilding infrastructure in Ukraine that has been destroyed by Russian missile strikes and military action.
The deal also aligns with Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union, a non-negotiable condition for Kyiv.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
'There is no red line' US hasn't crossed, says Iran's foreign minister; declares diplomacy dead after America strikes on nuclear sites
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for carrying out military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, calling it a "decisive moment" between the axis of terror and that of hope. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi declared on Sunday that the United States has crossed 'the most dangerous red line' by launching overnight strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites, warning that diplomacy is no longer on the table and that the US bears full responsibility for what comes next. 'There is no red line left that the US hasn't crossed,' Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul. 'The last and most dangerous one was what happened only last night when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities.' He added, 'The door to diplomacy should always be open, but this is not the case right now.' This marks the first official Iranian response since US President Donald Trump announced that American B-2 bombers, supported by submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles, had struck Iran's Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites. Trump claimed the sites were 'completely and fully obliterated,' calling it a 'historic moment' and warning Tehran that 'there will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.' The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed the sites had been hit but insisted that the program 'cannot be stopped.' The IAEA said there was no sign of radiation leakage but would continue to monitor the situation. Iran's foreign ministry accused Washington of 'betraying diplomacy' and launching 'a dangerous war.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 40세 넘고 PC만 있으면? 이 게임 완전 내 거임! Hero Wars 플레이하기 Undo It vowed to respond with 'full force.' 'The warmongering, lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression,' Araghchi said. Shortly after the US strikes, Iran launched 40 missiles at Israel, injuring over 80 people and damaging several buildings. Israel retaliated with fresh strikes on military targets in western Iran. The Israeli military has reported being on high alert for a prolonged conflict. Meanwhile, global leaders have raised alarm. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the situation 'a dangerous escalation,' warning of a growing risk of catastrophic regional war. Despite warnings from Tehran, Trump defended his decision as necessary to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions, which the US and Israel argue remain a threat even as Tehran denies pursuing a bomb. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's action, calling it 'bold' and 'historic.'
India Gazette
24 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Owaisi's blistering takedown of Pakistan's Nobel pitch after Trump bombs Iran
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 22 (ANI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday launched a blistering attack on Pakistan's earlier pitch for a Nobel Peace Prize for US President Donald Trump, following America's airstrikes on Iran's key nuclear facilities. The Lok Sabha MP questioned whether Pakistan had supported Trump only to see him drop bombs on a sovereign nation. 'We should ask Pakistanis if for this they want Trump to get a Nobel Peace Prize...' Owaisi said in Hyderabad, referring to the strikes carried out by the United States on Iran's nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. The AIMIM leader further mocked Pakistan's military leadership, saying, '...Did Pakistan's General (Army chief Asim Munir) have lunch with the US president for this? They all have been exposed today.' Slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Owaisi said, 'This attack by the US has helped Netanyahu, who is a butcher of Palestinians... A genocide is happening in Gaza, and the US is not worried about it.' He said, 'This man (Netanyahu), he has butchered Palestinians... He is doing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza. History will remember him as the butcher of Palestinians.' Owaisi also warned of serious consequences for India if a full-scale war breaks out in the region. 'We must also remember that more than 16 million Indians live in the Gulf and Middle East, and if that area erupts in a war, which unfortunately is very likely, then it will have a grave impact on the Indians living there,' he told ANI. He said the region was vital for India's economy. 'The investments which Indian companies have made in all these Arab countries or Gulf countries, and a substantial amount of foreign investment comes from this area,' he added. Calling the nuclear threat from Iran a 'boogie,' Owaisi said, 'And lastly, this boogie has been created about Iran having nuclear weapons, or this and that, the same thing was used in Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction. Nothing, nothing came out.' The AIMIM chief's remarks come hours after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, including Fordow. Fordow is Iran's main enrichment location for uranium enrichment to 60 per cent. The government of Pakistan wrote in a Friday statement on the social media platform X said that it would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize as reported by several media outlets in the US, including The Hill. The US publication reported that after Pakistan announced the nomination, Trump shared a grim outlook on his chances of obtaining recognition from an international award for conflict intervention hours after securing a treaty between Rwanda and the Congo. 'No, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that's all that matters to me!' Trump wrote in a Friday Truth Social post. (ANI)
India Gazette
24 minutes ago
- India Gazette
"This is an escalation": Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdev after US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdev on Sunday described the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities as an escalation to the week old Israel-Iran conflict, warning that the situation is likely to deteriorate further. His comments come in the wake of recent US airstrikes targeting three key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Iran's main enrichment location for uranium enrichment to 60 per cent. 'This is an escalation, and it seems there will be no end; the situation will worsen, go up and down. It seems that the region of the Middle East will now be plunged into Forever Wars... Iran will fight back with whatever resources it has. It will retaliate. However, it doesn't have much capacity, but it will still attempt to do its best,' he told ANI. Sachdev said that US President Donald Trump's claim of eliminating the entire nuclear programme of Iran is 'wrong'. 'Donald Trump is correct in saying that tonight's attack was a spectacular attack by the American Armed forces, but he is wrong in saying that this attack has eliminated the entire nuclear programme of Iran; it has not...... The Iranians have already trandffered Uranium though it is not weapon grade but whatever enriched uranium they had, it seems they have distributed and hidden in some other locations but yes, a major blow to Iran's nuclear programme has been delivered but it does not mean that the entire nuclear programme of Iran has been obliterated,' he added. He further said that Iran's attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz could lead India to suffer, as according to him, about 20 per cent of the world's crude oil and 25 per cent of the world's natural gas flow through one of the world's most important oil chokepoints located between Oman and Iran, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. '...If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, India will definitely suffer. About 20 per cent of the world's crude oil and 25 per cent of the world's natural gas flow through these. Qatar's gas, which we buy, almost all flows through this. 70 per cent of Saudi oil comes through the Strait of Hormuz,' Sachdev said. 'India will suffer because oil prices will go up, inflation will rise, and there is an estimate that for every ten-dollar increase in the price of crude oil, India's GDP will suffer by 0.5 per cent,' the Foreign affairs expert added. After Northrop Grumman-made B-2 Spirit bombers struck nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, Trump, in his first public remarks, warned that he could order further action if Tehran does not agree to a satisfactory peace agreement. In his address to the nation from the White House on Saturday (local time), Trump said, 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we've witnessed over the last eight days.' In a Truth Social post, Trump said, 'This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be a tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.' Trump also thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said, 'I want to thank Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel.' (ANI)
