Trump administration pressures Ukraine on Starlink deal
Representatives of the Trump administration threatened Ukraine with immediate disconnection from the Starlink orbital communication network if Kyiv did not agree to a profit-sharing deal involving Ukrainian natural resources, Reuters reports. According to the former president, Ukraine will soon agree to the White House's demands.
The agency, citing three informed sources, reports that American officials began to threaten "immediate disconnection" from the satellite network when Volodymyr Zelensky refused to sign a mineral agreement during a visit by Finance Minister Scott Bessent. This threat was reportedly repeated during Thursday's talks in Kyiv by the U.S. envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg.
One of the agency's sources stated that disconnecting Ukraine from the network would be a "significant blow" to the Ukrainian military.
Resources for the USA?
According to a project published by Britain's "Daily Telegraph," the initial agreement proposed that Ukraine would cede 50% of the profits from the exploitation of rare earth metals and other natural resources. The agreement also specified that any disputes would be resolved in a New York court.
Zelensky said he refused to sign this document because it did not contain any future security guarantees. According to sources, including Axios, the Americans proposed a new version of the agreement.
According to President Trump and his officials, this was to be a form of payment for the American aid given to Ukraine. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz claimed that an "economic partnership" with the U.S. would be a future guarantee for Ukraine.
On Friday, Waltz and Trump expressed confidence that Ukrainians would sign the agreement in the coming days.
Trump expressed his belief that they are eager for it, emphasizing their positive outlook and the importance they place on it. He noted that even though it’s a significant matter, their support is driven by its ability to secure our presence in the country, and he reassured that our investment will be recovered.
The U.S. president noted that the United States would gain $400-500 billion from this partnership.
The president claims that the U.S. has spent $300-350 billion on aid to Ukraine, but this number is at least half that. Trump and his team also claim—once again at odds with the facts—that European aid to Ukraine is based on loans. They cite the example of over $50 billion in loans granted to Ukraine based on profits from frozen Russian assets. About $20 billion of this loan was granted to Ukraine by the United States, while the EU provided up to $35 billion.
