After months of intense negotiations, the US has signed a natural resources deal with Ukraine.
Both countries have agreed to a “Reconstruction Investment Fund.”
An initial deal fell apart in February this year after a heated clash between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office. They were spotted talking at the Pope’s funeral last Saturday.
The deal will see the two countries collaborate to ensure that “mutual assets, talents, and capabilities” can accelerate Ukraine’s recovery.
The deal involves the US sharing profits from future sales of Ukraine’s mineral and energy reserves. The aim is to incentivise Washington to invest further in Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction.
President Trump says the deal may give US ‘much more’ than his country has spent on Ukraine in aid.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian adviser tells the BBC the deal will hopefully “lead to the establishment of lasting, enduring, and just peace.”
Russia is yet to respond to the deal, but the regional governor in the Ukranian city of Odesa says Russian drones killed at least two people and injured another five in a sustained attack on the city.
