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Trump Doesn’t Care About Ukraine or Russia — Just Money

3 0
19.02.2025
Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower on Sept. 27, 2024, in NYC. Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

As part of his proposed peace plan in Eastern Europe, President Donald Trump is demanding the full-scale economic colonization of Ukraine.

The terms of Trump’s initial proposal, detailed in a leaked document obtained by The Telegraph, call for U.S. control of Ukraine’s natural resources, ports, and infrastructure, including $500 billion of Ukraine’s mineral wealth as “payback” for the military aid. After years of military aid, Trump has decided now is the time to cash in.

Trump’s proposal asks Ukraine for exclusive rights “in perpetuity” over its natural resources and infrastructure. “This agreement shall be governed by New York law, without regard to conflict of laws principles,” the contract specifies. And revenues would have to be paid to the U.S. before any other party. “That clause means ‘pay us first, and then feed your children,’” a source close to the negotiations told The Telegraph.

Trump’s staggering claim to Ukraine’s mineral wealth is not new. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself proposed giving up Ukraine’s natural resources to secure Western aid. And, in Washington, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., previously floated the idea. “They’re sitting on trillion dollars of minerals that could be good for our economy,” Graham said, standing beside Zelenskyy during a visit to Ukraine last year. “So I want to keep helping our friends in Ukraine.”

The $500 billion figure equates to nearly three times the size of Ukraine’s gross domestic product. And, as observers have pointed out, the extent of Ukraine’s mineral

© The Intercept