Ukraine pressured with Starlink threat over resource profits
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 from Ukrainian natural resources, Reuters reports. According to the U.S. president, Ukraine will soon agree to the White House's demands.
The agency reports, citing three informed sources, that American officials began to threaten with "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 U.S.?
According to a project published by Britain's "Daily Telegraph," the initial agreement proposed that Ukraine would give up 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 by a court in New York.
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, it was to be a form of payment for the American aid given to Ukraine. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz claimed that merely 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 or 350 billion dollars on aid to Ukraine, although in reality, this number is at least half that. Trump and his people also claim - once again at odds with the facts - that European aid to Ukraine is based on loans. They cite the example of the over 50 billion 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.
