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On 12 February, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in Kyiv with a key mission – to hand over a draft economic partnership agreement that should be carefully studied by the Ukrainian side before the next Munich conference. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that the document, which confirms the priority of economic integration and cooperation with the United States, would be reviewed quickly, Ukrinform reports.
The talks between Bessent and the Ukrainian leadership covered not only economic partnership, but also the extremely important issues of security guarantees and the efficient use of Ukraine’s natural resources. President Zelenskyy presented the minister with a map of Ukraine’s mineral resources, emphasising the strategic importance of these resources for future cooperation.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal stressed that Bessent’s visit confirms the Trump administration’s intention to deepen pragmatic and mutually beneficial relations with Ukraine. In particular, he noted that the United States is ready to actively assist in the process of restoring the state and strengthening economic cooperation.
Shmyhal also drew attention to the need to increase sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation. He called on the United States to take additional measures, including disconnecting Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system and imposing tough sanctions on the Russian oil and gas sector, as well as confiscating frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s recovery.
The meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy scheduled for next week promises to be an important milestone in the development of bilateral relations, especially in the context of discussing Ukraine’s subsoil and the long-term strategy for the use of natural resources.
