US and Ukraine sign mineral deal – using a vehicle called a “reconstruction investment fund”.
An agreement doomed to promote corruption and danger!
From here:
US and Ukraine sign critical minerals and reconstruction deal | Just The News
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday announced that the United States and Ukraine have signed the long-anticipated minerals deal through the creation of a reconstruction investment fund.”
“Bessent said the economic partnership positions the two countries to work collaboratively to ensure mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can speed up Ukraine’s economic recovery.”
Mining rare earths is one of the most environmentally hostile acts that man can devise. Ask China.
From Brave AI:
“Refining rare earth metals produces significant pollution. For every ton of rare earth produced, the mining process yields 13 kg of dust, 9,600 to 12,000 cubic meters of waste gas, 75 cubic meters of wastewater, and one ton of radioactive residue.
This results in approximately 2,000 tons of toxic waste for every ton of rare earth.
The pollution stems from the fact that rare earth element ores contain metals that, when mixed with leaching pond chemicals, contaminate air, water, and soil. Additionally, rare earth ores are often laced with radioactive thorium and uranium, leading to particularly detrimental health effects.”
Ukraine has always ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
“Ukraine ranks 105th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, with a score of 35 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). This score indicates that Ukraine is perceived as one of the more corrupt countries in Europe, though it has shown steady improvement since 2015. For comparison, the highest score among Eastern European and Central Asian countries was 53, the average score was 35, and the lowest score was 17.”
No doubt the US has worked around the UK’s agreement for rare earth minerals.
From February 2025:
UK's 100-year deal with Ukraine 'under threat from Trump'
“Questions are being asked about whether a deal on minerals between Washington and Kyiv is compatible with the UK's own agreement with Ukraine, which commits both countries to exploring opportunities for natural resources. “
“In January, Sir Keir Starmer and President Zelensky signed a 100-year partnership for closer cooperation between their two countries on everything from defence and security to culture and sport.
That agreement included a clause on minerals, which proposed a joint working group to maximise the “benefits from Ukraine’s natural resources” as well as support the development of a Ukrainian “critical minerals strategy”.
Bessent says that a “Reconstruction Investment Fund” in a war zone is the way to go.
Russia is turning Ukraine into rubble – one drone at a time - and the US is seeking to create small pockets of US territory inside Ukraine – in conflict with the UK.
Russia had taken Ukraine land that was populated with Russian speaking people who the Ukraine had been shelling since 2014.
Personally, I don’t see that the UK and/or US have any business in Ukraine – corrupt or otherwise.
Both are interfering in corruption by inserting their people into a toxic, unwinnable and corrupt country.
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Onwards!!!