Turns out Ukraine does have cards to play — military expert

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“This is a struggle for territory and resources, so in this situation, let’s look at the money. What can the Ukrainian government do? Why aren’t we using our leverage? Imagine that Western media reports that a Ukrainian MP has submitted a draft law to introduce tariffs on the export of Ukrainian grain, corn, and oil. What would then happen on the American stock exchanges? Ukraine supplies 15% of the world’s corn and 10% of hard wheat, and it’s mainly American traders who buy this grain in Ukraine. By now, all our farmers have already sold their grain, meaning we risk nothing by introducing tariffs. We need the grain, so we must protect it. Ukraine currently has no security guarantees from the U.S. So while talks about a resource agreement are ongoing, let’s protect what we have—our grain. That is our duty,” said the reserve SBU colonel.

According to him, there are additional steps Ukraine can take. It’s important to understand that a resource agreement with the U.S. could automatically distance Ukraine from EU partners, who are both more numerous and geographically closer.

“Here’s a question: Why hasn’t a similar, symmetrical agreement with the EU appeared yet? Why aren’t we discussing such an agreement with Germany, France, or the United Kingdom? Neither Macron nor Scholz would refuse to sign a similar deal. We could sign one with Poland—even with Orban. And then, the U.S. resource deal would simply be diluted,” he noted.

“We need to create competition. We should play the financial game the same way the U.S. does. These are the very methods that Trump himself uses. This approach would be familiar to him. When we’re told we have no cards to play, it turns out we do—we drew them ourselves overnight. These cards could take the form of an official draft bill under consideration in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament). No one knows whether it will pass, but the mere threat of such tariffs will affect the stock markets. And then it will be easier for us to negotiate,” Prytula emphasized.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier suggested that Kyiv and Washington might sign a critical minerals agreement as soon as next week.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday, March 27, that the U.S. proposed signing a full agreement on critical minerals immediately, rather than a framework deal.
• On March 28, the media reported that the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration reintroduced a requirement into the resource deal that Ukraine repay all assistance provided by the U.S. since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
• During a government Q&A session in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko confirmed that the government had received a draft agreement on critical minerals from the U.S. and that Ukraine is currently forming its position.