US-Ukraine Economic Partnership Key to Continued US Support, US Treasury Secretary Says
During his visit to Kyiv, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented an economic partnership agreement to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Bessent emphasized the importance of this agreement for ensuring continued support from the Trump administration.
Bessent stated, "President Trump has a plan to end this war, and an economic cooperation agreement is essential." He added that in exchange for this agreement, the US will maintain material support for Ukraine.
Zelenskiy described the agreement as a "concrete step" and highlighted the need for economic ties as part of Ukraine's security guarantees against Russia. "We are confident we will reach a deal," he said.
The Ukrainian side will swiftly review the agreement ahead of the Munich Security Conference, where US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to be present.
The Kyiv talks are anticipated to cover Ukraine's "potential in natural resources." The Trump administration has recently indicated that it expects Kyiv to provide access to these resources, including critical minerals, and commit to purchasing US energy exports in exchange for continued military and economic support.
President Trump has criticized the billions of dollars in aid provided to Ukraine under his predecessor, arguing that the war should be ended rather than sustained with US assistance.
Trump also stated that Bessent's mission was to "get a document done where we're going to be assured that we're going to, in some form, get this money back."
On Wednesday, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call to meet for negotiations to end the war. Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed Ukraine's NATO membership as unrealistic, a position consistently held by Putin.
Prior to Bessent's arrival, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, resulting in one fatality and four injuries.