Liudmyla Shestakova lost much in this war – her son and her daughter -in -law, who died together on the front line. But she is a realistic, like many in this mining region in the center of Ukraine. And since the President Donald Trump He suggested, she thought that her country should sign a proposed agreement that would give the US some mining profits in Ukraine.
Shestakova, 65, who works with an environmental group called Flora in the city of Kropyvnytskyi, expected a Agreement between the US and Ukraine About critical minerals could bring very necessary investments to the region.
But on Friday night (28), Shestakova, like many people in Ukraine, was shocked and surprised With the way the, almost like a servant who didn’t bow and kissed the ring enough.
“With a reliable partner, this could have been a beneficial agreement for everyone,” said Shestakova, who once drove the flora and is now part of his supervision advice. “But with a partner like Trump, that can be really dangerous.”
Throughout Ukraine, people said they were upset on Friday night. They also said they would not stop fighting, even if the United States moved away.
“It will be difficult, but we will survive,” said Vitaly Deinega, 41, co-founder of Come Back Alive, an army support institution.
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“Today, I was not ashamed of my president and my country. I’m not sure if Americans can say the same ”
This agreement was never the idea of a major commitment to any Ukrainian. But since Trump took office, it was increasingly evident that it was the Single Agreement on Offer.
After Russia launched its large -scale invasion in Ukraine three years ago, the US became the biggest supporter of Ukraine, and the president Joe BidenZelenskyy’s biggest fan. Since taking office, Trump has referred to Zelenskyy as a “dictator,” said Ukraine for starting the war and praised Vladimir Putinthe president of Russia. And Trump made it clear that he wanted compensation for all the support the United States had given in the past.
The agreement on the minerals should be the initial payment. He should ensure that the US continued involved in the war and supported Ukraine if they obtained something in return.
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Ukraine has over 100 large deposits of critical minerals, as well as oil and natural gas reserves, according to the Kyiv School of Economics. And the central town of Ukraine, Kropyvnytskyi, with about 220,000 inhabitants, is the epicenter of it. It is built on mining, as well as the rest of the Kirvohrad region, rich in uranium, titanium, nickel and rare land elements – the minerals themselves on which the agreement was based that Trump and the United States seemed so excited.
A final draft of the mineral agreement revised by The New York Times described how a US -controlled background would receive revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources. The details were vague, but after intense rounds of negotiations, he became something that seemed almost an extortion to most Ukrainians into something they could live with.
Before the agreement crumbly, the Ukrainians in the area were largely excited about the idea of getting more American investments in the region. Perhaps this could help clean the hills of uranium uranium tailings, or provide better paid jobs. Most people here said they were fine with giving some of the future mines profits to America in exchange for the country’s support in their war with Russia.
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After the deal collapsed, the Ukrainians said they were shocked. It was a moment of jaw dropping. In restaurants, customers interrupted their meals to look at their phones watching Trump and Zelenskyy live videos.
“If the agreement is not signed, it will be much harder for us to continue fighting”
Savytskyi worked on a mine near Kropyvnytskyi for decades. He added: “If not signed, we will have to find another way, working with Europe and negotiating differently.”
As always, Ukrainians were quick with memes on Friday night. “Rip agree through the back door,” said one, with a tombstone.
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Oleksandr Tyron, a 30-year-old information technology worker who fled Vasylivka in the Zaporizehzia region because of the Russian invasion, said he discovered what happened on Friday night after participating in a pre-medicine class. “Knowledge of pre-medical care will help me in the event of a ballistic attack or Russian drone in Kyiv,” he said dryly. Ukrainians have had to master dark humor in the last three years.
He said he was proud of Zelenskyy for facing Trump. But he said he didn’t know what would happen if the US diminished or stopped his support.
“I believe we will remain firm. I regret that Ukrainians and Ukraine have to prove one more time, but we have to do what we need to do, ”he said. “There is no other way. Moscow is simply trying to destroy us, and after all that the Russians have done here, allowing them to succeed is unthinkable. ”
In Kyiv, Yulia Alendar, a 30 -year -old lawyer, described Trump’s treatment to Zelensky as disrespectful. She also complained about how Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war.
“It’s like blaming a victim of violence for wearing a short skirt,” Alenda said. She added: “If Trump wanted to show that democracy is bowing to the dictatorship, then he was successful. It seems that democracy is limited to the borders of the United States. ”
Olena Kuzmenko, 50, a former deputy from the Pervozvanivska community in Kirvohrad, said she was grateful for all assistance to Ukraine. “But from the beginning, this tone of ‘you are ungrateful’ was annoying to me,” she said. “I don’t understand this at all. It seems like an attitude of ‘we are big and strong, and you are small, so just do what we say.’
Shestakova said he understood that it would be difficult for Ukraine without US support.
“They will shatter Ukraine, but we will resist,” she said. She added that it was the right of the Ukrainians to choose their president. “It’s better to have no agreement than to have this,” said Shestakova.
This article originally appeared in.
