Minerals agreement is an important part of future security guarantees - Markarova
According to Ukrinform, Markarova stated this in an interview with CBS.
When asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent statement that Russia will "bring the war to Russia's desired outcome" and his remark that nuclear weapons may not be necessary to achieve this, Markarova responded that “It doesn't matter how we interpret what he says”.
She stressed that it is necessary to recognize that he poses a threat not only to Ukraine, “but also to anyone who believes that nations should live peacefully, do not challenge each other's borders, and just focus on the economic cooperation”.
Markarova further stated, “Putin is doing it together with Iran and North Korea. They are not hiding it. They are supporting other terroristic regimes”.
The ambassador also reported that on the night into Sunday, Russia carried out a large-scale attack on Kyiv, Cherkasy, and other cities using 165 Shahed drones. According to her, these strikes exclusively targeted civilian infrastructure—reflecting the daily reality Ukrainians face after 1,166 days of war.
The Ukrainian diplomat expressed deep gratitude to the American people for their support, emphasizing that without the Javelins and other weapons provided during Donald Trump's presidency, Ukraine would not have been able to effectively defend itself.
Discussing the recently signed minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States, she described it as a true 50-50 partnership. “All the future contribution that- or investments that U.S. will be providing us, including military deals, will be counted as contribution to that fund, and Ukraine will be also committing the proceeds from the new licenses and new developments into the fund,” Markarova explained.
She further stressed that this economic partnership deal is a very important part of the broader security architecture. “That fund will be successful if Ukraine is stable and peaceful. So in a way, it's an important part of the future security guarantees,” the ambassador added.
When asked about the timeline for the agreement's implementation, she stated, "We are working very actively on it," expressing hope that the document would be ratified in the near future.
As reported by Ukrinform, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia has sufficient resources and capabilities to bring the war in Ukraine “to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires,” asserting that nuclear weapons would not be necessary.
As a reminder, Ukraine and the United States signed an agreement on April 30 to establish the Reconstruction Investment Fund.
