US Ukraine Mineral Deal- Shades of Iraqi reconstruction scandal- US to provide security

A quick refresher on the scandalous use of funds that were supposed to go to Iraqi reconstruction after the US attack- ended up being unaccounted for on a mass scale. The money was spent, but, where? US corporations raked in the profits, for sure! One link is included below, but, a quick search will bring up dozens of articles on this swept under the rug episode of mass abuse which left the Iraqis worse off, but American contractors greatly enriched.

U.S. contractors reap the windfalls of post-war reconstruction

More than 70 American companies and individuals – donors to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush – have won up to $8 billion in contracts for work in postwar Iraq and Afghanistan over the last two years.

Those companies donated more money to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush—a little over $500,000—than to any other politician over the last dozen years, the Center found.

Kellogg, Brown & Root, the subsidiary of Halliburton—which Vice President Dick Cheney led prior to being chosen as Bush’s running mate in August 2000—was the top recipient of federal contracts for the two countries, with more than $2.3 billion awarded to the company. Bechtel Group, a major government contractor with similarly high-ranking ties, was second at around $1.03 billion.

However, dozens of lower-profile, but well-connected, companies shared in the reconstruction bounty.

From the limited descriptions of the “fund” being set up by the US/Ukraine for the mineral deal profits. I’m getting a sense of the same type of profiteering opportunities being created as Ukraine’s future looks to be that of a failed state, similar to Iraq, still to this day.

Ukraine– link

President Donald Trump last week engaged in verbal diatribes against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while pursuing peace talks with Russia

But some of Trump’s aides, including Keith Kellogg, the special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, and Rubio, have been more critical of Russia, even if cautiously or in private.

Aid to Ukraine exempted from freeze;

Plans for the exemptions date to at least late January, days after the Trump administration imposed the broad foreign aid freeze, according to the document. The exemptions proposed in it covered programs ranging from general economic support to landmine removal to narcotics control and health programs.

The exact chain of command involved was unclear. The State Department official said the process is bypassing the department’s foreign assistance office. That unit is led by Pete Marocco, a Trump ally and skeptic of foreign aid who has taken a lead role in dismantling USAID. But the document said the foreign assistance office would be consulted.

US Security Cooperation with Ukraine- State.gov

January 20, 2025

The United States reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.

Ukraine is a key regional strategic partner that has undertaken significant efforts to modernize its military and increase its interoperability with NATO. It remains an urgent security assistance priority to provide Ukraine the equipment it needs to defend itself against Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Seems doubtful anything has changed in 1 months time

Bloomberg-France expects US to Provide Back-up after Ceasefire

https://archive.ph/65kOV

French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said he expects the US to provide backup for European troops to help maintain peace once a ceasefire is agreed between Ukraine and Russia.
The UK, Germany, France and other European countries are willing to send troops to guarantee a truce, he told Bloomberg Television in an interview in Cape Town, where he’s attending a meeting of Group of 20 finance chiefs.

“If we want a ceasefire to be respected, we need a US backup,” he said on Wednesday. “I believe the Americans have agreed to do that.”

I believe the American’s have agreed to security back up- The minerals deal virtually guarantees this. This explains the Whitehouse visits of both Macron and Keir Starmer

Russia understands this reality

Russia accuses UK and France of ‘heating up’ Ukraine war amid defence push

The UK and France are “heating up the conflict” in Ukraine rather than seeking peace, Russia has suggested as Sir Keir Starmer travels to the US for crunch talks with Donald Trump.

Speaking during a visit to Qatar, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claimed European nations, including the UK, were now seeking to prolong the war in Ukraine.

“The approach that is being imposed by the Europeans, first of all France and the British, is aimed… at heating up the conflict further and stopping any attempts to calm it down,” he said, according to a translation from Russia’s state news agency, Tass.

French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for security guarantees to enforce peace in Ukraine as he preceded Sir Keir in meeting US President Mr Trump this week.

Finally, Financial Times via archive.ph

Kyiv has agreed terms with Washington on a minerals deal that Ukrainian officials hope will improve relations with the Trump administration and pave the way for a long-term US security commitment.

“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.

The final version of the agreement, dated February 25 and seen by the FT, would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 per cent of proceeds from the “future monetisation” of state-owned mineral resources, including oil and gas, and associated logistics. The fund would also be able to invest in projects in Ukraine.

What companies would be awarded the projects? This is why I referenced the Iraqi reconstruction fiasco. Of course, we won’t know for years how this fund is used.. but shades of Iraq.

Ukraine has large underground deposits of critical minerals, including lithium, graphite, cobalt, titanium and rare earths such as scandium, that are essential for an array of industries from defence to electric vehicles.

The agreement excludes mineral resources that already contribute to Ukrainian government coffers, meaning it would not cover the existing activities of Naftogaz or Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s largest gas and oil producers.

A Ukrainian official with knowledge of the matter said president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was planning to travel to Washington on Friday to see Donald Trump and formalise the deal.

On Tuesday, the US president appeared to confirm his Ukrainian counterpart’s visit, saying: “I hear that [Zelenskyy is] coming on Friday. Certainly it’s OK with me if he’d like to.”

Rather longish report, yes, but, the situation with Ukraine, EU, Russia looks to be evolving quite quickly. Still waiting on Zelensky’s departure.