It’s also a deal for Ukraine. It keeps the US in Ukraine and helps it develop its resources.
Ukrainian officials say Kyiv is now ready to sign the agreement on jointly developing its mineral resources, including oil and gas after the US dropped demands for a right to $500 billion in potential revenue from exploiting the resources.
While there aren’t any explicit security guarantees, the officials argued that they had negotiated far more favorable terms and depicted the deal as a way of broadening the relationship with the US to shore up Ukraine’s prospects after three years of war.
“The minerals agreement is only part of the picture. We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it’s part of a bigger picture,” Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and justice minister who has led the negotiations, told the Financial Times on Tuesday.
It’s not clear how Russia will take to US companies on its border.
China and Russia Are All Over Greenland
At the same time, Russia and China are all over Greenland. China made roughly $5 billion in the last 5 years in Greenland. They used a company called Greenland Minerals. A Chinese company, Shenghe Resources Holdings, is the largest stakeholder in Greenland Minerals. They have been mining and moving their way into Greenland for years.
The problem began with then-President Clinton. Under Bill Clinton, the US signed a trade deal with China and joined the World Trade Organization. Now, they are dangerous and wealthy.
Trump’s interest in Greenland ties to its rare earth deposits, crucial for technologies like semiconductors, F-35s, and AI.
With 90% of rare earths controlled by China and Russia, Greenland offers strategic independence. pic.twitter.com/fl90PARXEm
— Xavi Ruiz (@xruiztru) January 9, 2025
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