14 December 2024
The New York Times reports that the Ukrainian government has twice postponed a minerals deal with the United States, possibly to give President-elect Donald Trump the opportunity to present the agreement as his own achievement.
Source: The New York Times citing sources
Quote: “Ukraine had planned to sign an agreement to cooperate on extracting and processing minerals with the Biden administration. But the Ukrainian authorities have postponed the signing twice, according to officials on both sides – a signal that Kyiv may be waiting for Mr. Trump to take office to present the deal as an early victory for his administration.”
Details: The newspaper cites data from Ukrainian private equity firm Horizon Capital that Ukraine has deposits of 20 major minerals, such as cobalt and graphite, with reserves estimated at US$11.5 trillion. Particularly, Ukraine has about a third of Europe’s proven reserves of lithium, a key material for batteries that could be of interest to Elon Musk’s electric vehicle business.
Republican and Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham said in an interview with Fox News last month that this war is about money, saying that Trump is going to make a deal to get US money back, to enrich himself with rare earth minerals, calling the deal good for both Ukraine and the United States.
The newspaper notes that “from desperate stabs at diplomacy to fanciful expressions of flattery, Ukrainian officials are doing everything they can to bring President-elect Donald J. Trump into their corner as they try to strengthen their position in the war against Russia.”
They also said that Ukraine’s “the most audacious effort” to reach out to Trump were made after Ukrainian officials learned that the US President-elect was planning to travel to Paris last Saturday to attend the opening of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Quote: “First, they pushed for help from the French president’s office to organize a meeting between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump, according to a French official who requested anonymity to discuss the preparations. Then, with no guarantee of a meeting, Mr. Zelensky’s team traveled many hours to Paris from Kyiv by train and plane.
The meeting was confirmed just before Mr. Trump walked into the Élysée Palace for talks with France’s president. Less than an hour later, Mr. Zelensky joined them. The discussion between the three men, supposed to last 15 minutes, stretched to 45.”
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https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/12/14/7489125
Go figure…
“from desperate stabs at diplomacy to fanciful expressions of flattery, Ukrainian officials are doing everything they can to bring President-elect Donald J. Trump into their corner as they try to strengthen their position in the war against Russia.”
NYT seem a little pissed that Mr Cautious won’t be getting any deal with Ukraine. Perhaps if he has shown more backbone, these mineral rights would already be signed, sealed and delivered.
I suppose that the Ukrainians can’t forgive the White House fluff bunnies for their speedy aid in sufficient numbers just before the Ukrainian offensive got started. Sarcasm, of course. We all know that the counterattack fell apart quickly due to the lengthy dithering by Bide, and then handing over a damn ridiculous 31 tanks. And so on, and so forth…
Mafia Biden doesn’t really care about ‘cheap Ukrainian prostitutes’ many American women are afraid of. Time to break his ass! Donny has a Czech wife, which gives me hope, in particular after the ruSS-nazis humiliated his beloved wife.
As for the humiliation the orcs handed to the orange one, let’s hope his memory is like an elephant’s and his sense of revenge is strong.
Luzenko just got fired for fucking up in Donbas.
Who is that?
General Oleksandr Lutsenko?
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-replaces-commander-russia-advances-fast-east-2024-12-14/
“NYT seem a little pissed”
I didn’t get that impression at all.
“these mineral rights would already be signed, sealed and delivered.”
They’d already be signed, sealed and delivered if Ukraine hadn’t postponed twice. But Ukraine is (IMO, wisely) delaying in order to allow trumpkov to claim the agreement that the Biden administration had negotiated as a trumpkov win. That way, he won’t try to undo it as soon as he takes office.
Wise people do not listen to the NYT when it comes to Ukraine, they’ve been wrong about Ukraine for 90 years.
What Walter Duranty wrote 90 years ago – long before I was born – has nothing to do with today’s reporting by the NYT.
“That way, he won’t try to undo it as soon as he takes office.”
A good point, Larry.