this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2025
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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, rejected an offer by the Trump administration to relinquish half of the country’s mineral resources in exchange for U.S. support, according to five people briefed on the proposal or with direct knowledge of the talks.

The unusual deal would have granted the United States a 50 percent interest in all of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including graphite, lithium and uranium, according to two European officials. Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, who presented the deal to Ukraine, said Sunday that the United States wanted the minerals “as payback for the aid we’ve given them” — leaving unclear whether the deal would cover future military and financial assistance.

A Ukrainian official and an energy expert briefed on the proposal said that the Trump administration sought not only Ukraine’s minerals but additional natural resources, including oil and gas. The proposal, they said, would entitle the United States to half of Ukraine’s resource earnings — funds that are today mostly invested in the country’s military and defense production.

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sh.itjust.works 163 points 1 week ago (3 children)

The audacity of this mineral shakedown reeks of late-stage empire logic—strip-mine a nation’s future while dangling survival as a bargaining chip. Colonialism never died; it just outsourced its PR. Trump’s “deal” is pure extortion: surrender half your sovereignty or face abandonment. Zelensky’s refusal isn’t principled—it’s survival math. What’s 50% of ashes?

Security guarantees? The U.S. wants a vassal, not an ally. Promising troops for rare earths after a peace deal is like selling fire extinguishers post-inferno. Ukraine’s minerals are the new blood diamonds, traded by suits in Munich while frontlines smolder.

Watch how “democracy” becomes a euphemism for resource arbitrage. The real pandemic is geopolitical vampirism. Kyiv’s counteroffer? Probably another round of hollow treaties. But hey, at least the circus has fresh clowns: Vance and Rubio, scrambling to monetize a massacre.

[–] AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world 52 points 1 week ago

Good. Trump is a ventriloquist dummy for Putin. Even if he wasn't, demanding a kid for half his lunch money to save him from a bully just makes you another bully.

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[–] 7U5K3N@lemmy.dbzer0.com 99 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Good. Fuck em (us) the USA shouldn't shake down Ukraine for minerals with the empty promise of security.

Ukraine should join NATO and they all should rally to support Ukraine. USA isnt dependable currently. And should be treated as hostile.

Take it from me.. an american, the US government is absolutely hostile towards folks. :(

[–] ApexHunter@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 week ago (6 children)

NATO isnt an option anymore. Trump being president means the US will reject their NATO application.

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[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 62 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

Lol. The US is a fucking failed state that couldn't even defeat Vietnamese, Afghan, or Iraqi peasants at the peak of their empire, with trillions of dollars in capital... Literally 1000x more capital than their enemy.

Every country needs to grow balls, forge alliances, and tell the US to collectively get fucked. They're swinging their dick around like they hold the cards, when they're grossly incompetent, and without the rest of the world playing ball the US is fucking dead in the water. All of their wealth is worthless without the global supply chain. They will collapse in months without us.

Even if Ukraine's gov fell, it's likely Russia would be locked in a guerrilla warfare quagmire (like Afghanistan in the 80's). If the USSR couldn't defeat a bunch of peasants, why would a state with 1/10th the power be able to defeat Ukraine?

If the EU is smart — and not a bunch of capitalist oligarchies masquerading as "democracies" — they'll offer asylum and jobs to US scientists, and brain drain the US of what little remaining leverage they have.

[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Don’t know about the other countries,but Afghanistan is a bit special. Many invaders have tried, and failed. I guess the mountainous terrain doesn’t make it any easier. Seems to me that nobody is capable of conquering Afghanistan. When you hear about another empire trying their luck, you know it’s going to drain their power.

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 12 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Vietnam has historically been pretty brutal for invaders too. Between the end of the third Chinese domination and the start of the French colonial period, they went almost a thousand years rarely ever losing a war. They even fended the Mongols off

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[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago

Good. Crazy that people were cheering on this straight up extortion. Europe and America promised support to win the war. Now that Ukraine is deep in the sunk cost fallacy they start extorting them.

[–] Thrillhouse@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

And this is exactly why the fuck Trump is chasing Canada as well.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

we've decided that you lose, and have negotiated the terms of your surrender with this bully psychopath who is also having sex with your mother and i

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Good. Crazy that people were cheering on this straight up extortion. Europe and America promised support to win the war. Now that Ukraine is deep in the sunk cost fallacy they start extorting them.

[–] rickdg@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Putin Junior learning from daddy

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