Donald Trump's demand for a $500bn (Β£400bn) "payback" from Ukraine goes far beyond US control over the country's critical minerals. It covers everything from ports and infrastructure to oil and gas, and the larger resource base of the country.
The terms of the contract that landed at Volodymyr Zelensky's office a week ago amount to the US economic colonisation of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity. It implies a burden of reparations that cannot possibly be achieved. The document has caused consternation and panic in Kyiv.
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President Zelensky himself proposed the idea of giving the US a direct stake in Ukraine's rare earth elements and critical minerals on a visit to Trump Tower in September, hoping to smooth the way for continued arms deliveries.
Where's the...revelation?
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If we get rare earth minerals can we keep killing vatniks? I'm worried Trump will punk out for nothing like he usually does, but this seems like a win-win.
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