The Ukrainian government has refused to sign a new agreement with the United States on joint development of mineral resources, considering the terms proposed by Washington to be unfair and reminiscent of outright "robbery." This was reported by the Financial Times, citing three high-ranking officials from Kyiv. According to them, the American side presented a draft document that significantly expands the sphere of US influence on Ukrainian resources and infrastructure, causing sharp discontent in the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv has already attracted a team of legal experts to conduct a detailed analysis of the agreement and prepare an alternative version.

The history of this agreement dates back to February 2025, when Ukraine and the United States agreed on joint resource extraction. However, that document was never signed due to a tense meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump in the White House. The new project proposed by the American side turned out to be much more ambitious. As the Financial Times notes, it covers not only mineral resources such as oil and gas, but also all of Ukraine’s related infrastructure, from railways and ports to pipelines and processing plants. This goes far beyond the initial agreements, which is what caused such a sharp reaction from Kyiv.

According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration insists on granting the United States the "right of first offer" for investment in any projects related to Ukrainian resources and infrastructure. Moreover, Washington demands that American companies receive all profits from these projects, as well as an additional 4% per annum until the investment is fully recouped. The priority right to purchase extracted resources is also assigned to the United States. To manage investments, it is planned to create a special reconstruction fund under the control of the US International Development Finance Corporation. Ukraine will be obliged to transfer half of the income from new projects in the field of extraction and infrastructure to this fund. At the same time, assistance provided to Kyiv since February 2022 in the form of material and financial resources will be counted as an American contribution to this fund.

Kyiv is paying particular attention to the absence of any mention in the new draft of US ownership of Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure. However, as the Financial Times emphasizes, Ukrainian authorities fear that Washington may return to this issue in the future, increasing pressure on Ukraine.

"We cannot allow our resources and infrastructure to become a tool for someone else's benefit," — the publication quotes one of the officials.

According to him, Kyiv intends to defend its interests and seek a more balanced approach in negotiations with the American side.