"This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine over the long term," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine."
The US and Ukraine reached a deal over access to the country's natural resources, offering a measure of assurance to officials in Kyiv who had feared that President Donald Trump would pull back his support in peace talks with Russia.
The deal will grant the US privileged access to new investment projects to develop Ukraine's natural resources including aluminum, graphite, oil and natural gas. It's been seen as critical to fostering Trump's goodwill as his administration pushes to end the war that began when Russia mounted its full-scale invasion more than three years ago.
