Trump, Ukraine, minerals deal: Turning U.S. aid into American gains

Let's start with the main point. In the end, we got: a fund that will only work with new deposits, with new licenses; profits for the first 10 years will be reinvested in Ukraine; in the future, profits will be shared between Ukraine and the U.S. (if it all works out); part of the contributions will be for supplying weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

At the start, this deal could have been part of the overall aid package for Ukraine, where U.S. assistance would eventually be converted into benefits for the U.S.

Then Trump turned it into something resembling a colonial model. Completely distorting the original meaning and spirit. The first version of his deal involved giving the Americans control over all our resources and infrastructure. Then counterclaims were made. And it all boiled down to the first memorandum. After that— a quarrel in the Oval Office. Then— even harsher positions from the U.S., which had to be rolled back.

Because, as time went on, it became more and more clear: the Trump administration had zero real victories. Tariffs had only undermined trust in the U.S., there were absolutely unjustified conflicts with Canada, no resolution to the war problem, no deals with Iran, or other real results. So they started looking for any kind of success story. And they found one— in the deal with Ukraine.

Here, of course, our team did great work, and the Russian inability to negotiate also helped.

So at first, there was another memorandum, negotiations, and here is a decent result. Somewhere around 10% of the initial plan, but still a plus for Ukraine. Investments are there. Weapons are there. There are no debts for the past.

This is very typical of Trump’s entire policy— deceiving partners and trying to impose bondage, but through greed and incompetence, they get the minimum. Yet, they still report a victory. And that’s how it will be in all matters: tariffs, migrants, Europe, China, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia.

Could we have gotten more? Absolutely. If the U.S. had an adequate administration.

Could we have ended up in bondage? Yes, and they tried to push us into that. And certain people, who are now "dissatisfied with the result," demanded that we sign everything without negotiations.

Did we do everything to extract the maximum from the real minimum? Yes.

So, sincere thanks to the Ministry of Economy team and the Cabinet. They tamed this diplomatic disaster— and gave Trump what he loves most: a reason for social media posts and victorious interviews. A brilliant deal, the greatest of all signed.

But the conclusion is still quite sad. This deal is a very accurate illustration of what we can really expect from the Trump administration in all directions. Either minimal achievements (from their point of view) or the destruction of what has worked for decades.

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About the author: Yuriy Bogdanov, publicist, expert in strategic communications in business, public administration, and politics.

The editorial does not always share the views expressed by blog authors.