Latest news with #ConstitutionofUkraine
Euronews
01-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Ukraine signs historic rare earth minerals deal with Washington
ADVERTISEMENT A Ukrainian official said on Wednesday that she had signed an agreement on behalf of the government that creates a US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. The agreement aims to create an environment that promotes further economic growth for both countries. "Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment into our country," wrote Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on X. The deal has many variables, which Svyrydenko detailed in a lengthy thread of posts. All resources in both land and sea in what's defined as Ukrainian territory will remain under Ukrainian control and ownership. Kyiv also reserves the right to determine what and where to extract, stressing that the subsoil remains state property, a term enshrined in the deal. The fund is to be created on a 50-50 basis and will be managed jointly by both Ukraine and the United States. Neither party is to have a majority vote, reflecting a true equal partnership based on mutual gain, cooperation and respect. FILE - An ilmenite open pit mine is seen in a canyon in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2025 Efrem Lukatsky/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved. The agreement will not impose any changes in the classification of companies' legal registrations. State-owned companies like Ukrnafta and Energoatom are to remain state-owned. The agreement makes no mention of any Ukrainian obligations to the United States. The implementation of the agreement will allow both countries to boost their economic potential through joint cooperation. No interference with EU integration The agreement complies with the Constitution of Ukraine and does not change the European integration course. The document is consistent with national legislation and does not contradict any of Ukraine's international obligations. Kyiv is hopeful that the agreement will signal to other countries that Ukraine is a reliable global player and highlight its intent to cooperate with partners and pursue long-term deals for decades to come. 50% of funds from new licenses for projects in the field of critical materials and oil and gas, which will be transferred to the budget after the creation of the fund. Income from projects already under way or budgeted revenues is not included in the fund. The agreement also obliges Washington to help attract more investment and technology for Kyiv. The fund will be directly supported by the US government through its International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The DFC will help bring in new investment and technology from companies and funds in both the US and EU, and other countries that support Kyiv's fight against Moscow. Technology was underscored as an important component of the deal, as Ukraine deems it important to secure not just capital, but also innovation. ADVERTISEMENT Fund's generated income not to be taxed The Fund's income and contributions will not be taxed in either the US or Ukraine, so that investments yield the greatest possible results for both parties. Both countries will be equally contributing to the fund. Svyrydenko says that, in addition to direct funds, Washington can choose to provide further support in the form of weapons, such as air defence systems. Kyiv will also do its part and reciprocate beyond the agreed-upon 50% of revenues generated from new rents and licenses, if deemed necessary. The joint fund will then invest the capital in mineral and natural resource projects, as well as other related infrastructure. ADVERTISEMENT The specific investment projects are to be decided on jointly by Ukraine and the US. The deal, however, stipulates that such investments are to be made exclusively in Ukraine. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a video posted to X that 'this partnership allows the United States to invest alongside Ukraine, to unlock Ukraine's growth assets, mobilise American talent, capital and governance standards that will improve Ukraine's investment climate and accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery.' Both countries say the agreement is designed to be a long-term joint investment, planned to last for decades.
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump says he 'thinks' Ukraine is ready to 'give up' Crimea and tells Putin to 'stop shooting' after US president's meeting with Zelensky at Pope Francis funeral
Donald Trump said he believes that Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to give up Crimea in order to secure peace terms with Russia. 'Oh, I think so,' the U.S. president told reporters in New Jersey yesterday, asked whether he thought the his Ukrainian counterpart was ready to 'give up' the territory. The comments came after the pair met on the sidelines of Pope Francis ' funeral on Saturday, their first face-to-face since the disastrous White House summit in February. Trump said that during their talks at St. Peter's Basilica they had 'briefly' discussed the fate of the Black Sea peninsula. He insisted that Putin should 'stop shooting' and sign an agreement to end the grinding war. Zelensky hailed the recent summit as a 'good has the potential to become historic', while the Washington said it was 'very productive'. But the Ukrainian leader has otherwise remained steadfast on his position on Crimea. Crimea has been a sticking point in negotiations. The strategic peninsula was given to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954 - before Putin illegally annexed it in 2014. Experts warn Trump's peace plan, which includes recognising Russian authority over Crimea, would require constitutional changes and could amount to treason. 'It doesn't mean anything,' said Oleksandr Merezkho, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy's party. 'We will never recognize Crimea as part of Russia.' Zelensky echoed the sentiment over the weekend, rejecting any suggestion his country would hand over the region to Moscow. Speaking to reporters, he said: 'Our position is unchanged: only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian. 'The Constitution of Ukraine states that all temporarily occupied territories are temporarily occupied. They all belong to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian people,' he said. 'Ukraine will not legally recognize any temporarily occupied territories. I think this is an absolutely fair position. 'It is legal not only from the point of view of the Constitution of Ukraine, but also from the point of view of international law.' As well as undermining Ukrainian sovereignty, potentially amounting to treason and stranding Ukrainian nationals, a concession would set an uneasy precedent for rogue states looking to illegally annex territory through force. Kyiv has reiterated its desire to end the gruelling war in Ukraine, but warns it must have security guarantees to avoid Russia reopening the conflict at a later date. Ahead of his February meeting with Trump at the White House, Zelensky said he had shared a list of 25 times Russia had violated ceasefires since the annexation of Crimea. Firefighters work to extinguish a fire following an attack in Mykolaiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on April 17, 2025 Trump has, in recent months, taken a slightly harder line on Russia, after Vladimir Putin was accused of breaching agreed ceasefires and attacking civilian targets. The U.S. leader said that Putin should 'stop shooting' and sign an agreement to end the grinding war that started with Moscow's February 2022 invasion. 'I want him to stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal,' Trump said Sunday when asked what he wanted from Putin. 'We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it.' The White House has said that without rapid progress, it could walk away from its role as a broker. Trump indicated that he would give the process 'two weeks.' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier on Sunday stressed the importance of the week ahead. 'We're close, but we're not close enough' to a deal to halt the fighting, Rubio told broadcaster NBC. 'I think this is going to be a very critical week.' But there is still US frustration with both sides, as the war, which has devastated swathes of eastern Ukraine and killed tens of thousands of people, drags on. Zelensky lays flowers at a makeshift memorial to honor the victims of a Russian missile strike in Svyatoshynskyi district on April 25 Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov had said last week that Moscow was 'ready to reach a deal' with the mediating United States to end the war in Ukraine, while caveating that some elements of a proposed deal still need to be 'fine tuned'. The Kremlin will be seeking to appease the US with a show of good faith after the Trump administration threatened to walk away from its intermediary role. Trump was incensed by Russian attacks on Kyiv that killed at least 12 people last week - the deadliest such attack since last July. 'I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!' he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Saudi Gazette
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Zelenskyy reaffirms Ukraine's stance on territories under Russian control
KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed on Friday that Ukraine's position regarding its territories currently under Russian control remains "unchanged," asserting that only the Ukrainian people have the right to determine the country's borders. 'Our position is unchanged. Only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian,' Zelenskyy told journalists in Kyiv. His remarks came in response to statements made by US President Donald Trump, who said in an interview with Time Magazine that Crimea — annexed by Moscow in 2014 — "will stay with Russia" under any agreement to end the ongoing Ukraine war. Reiterating that Ukraine's constitution defines all Russian-controlled territories as 'temporarily occupied,' Zelenskyy stressed Kyiv's refusal to recognize any loss of territory. 'It seems to me that this is an absolutely fair position. It is legal not only from the point of view of the Constitution of Ukraine, but also from the point of view of international law,' he said. Zelenskyy emphasized that many countries — including those attempting to balance relations with both Moscow and Kyiv — continue to support Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, including Crimea. While he agreed with Trump's assessment that Ukraine currently lacks sufficient military capacity to retake Crimea, Zelenskyy strongly disagreed with Trump's claim that Ukraine lacks a functioning army. "But we have sanctions capabilities, the world has other possibilities of economic pressure, diplomatic pressure, to discuss territorial issues — but only after a complete and unconditional ceasefire. This is our vision," Zelenskyy noted. He also touched on Ukraine's NATO membership aspirations, saying that membership ultimately depends on the support of alliance member countries. He called for a pragmatic approach to providing Ukraine with necessary security guarantees. 'There are issues that were discussed in London regarding security guarantees from the US. We really want them to be strong ... We also expect a contingent from our European colleagues,' Zelenskyy said, referring to discussions held Thursday in London between representatives of the UK, France, Germany, the US, and a Ukrainian delegation. He confirmed that Ukraine had presented its own vision for security guarantees, proposing a model equivalent to protections provided under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. — Agencies
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelenskyy: Ukraine lacks weapons to retake Crimea, but world has means to pressure Russia
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine does not currently have enough weapons to regain control over the temporarily occupied Crimea. However, he emphasised that the world has various tools at its disposal to exert pressure on Russia in order to raise territorial issues. Source: Zelenskyy during a conversation with journalists, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine Quote: "It is true what President Trump says. I agree with him that we currently do not have enough weapons. Weapons specifically, not people. Because our people are more important, the most important. But to say we do not have an army is not true." Details: Zelenskyy said that the world possesses tools of sanctions, economic pressure and diplomatic pressure "to say this, to discuss territorial issues, but only after a complete and unconditional ceasefire". He also commented on the statement made by US President Donald Trump, who said that Crimea should remain Russian. Quote: "Our position remains unchanged: only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian. And the Constitution of Ukraine decides: all temporarily occupied territories – they are temporarily occupied, they all belong to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian people. Ukraine will not legally recognise any temporarily occupied territories." Background: On 22 April, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine does not recognise Crimea as Russian, which is internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory. Trump criticised the statement, saying that "Crimea was lost years ago" and that Zelenskyy's words are "very harmful to the peace negotiations with Russia". US President Donald Trump reiterated in an interview with Time that he believes Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO is the main reason behind Russia's military aggression. He also stated that he considers Crimea to be lost to Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelenskyy reacts to WSJ article on US proposal to recognise Crimea as Russian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was asked at a press conference to comment on reports from The Wall Street Journal indicating that the US proposes recognising Crimea as Russian, rejecting Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, and creating a neutral zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) under US control. Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference aired by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Quote: "As soon as we start discussing Crimea, our sovereign territories, we enter the format of prolonging the war – this is exactly what Russia wants. We've been at war for 12 years. This is the answer to the question of whether it is possible to reach an agreement with Russia on the territories." Details: Regarding media reports about the proposal to recognise Crimea as Russian, Zelenskyy noted that "these are signals, ideas, visions, you can call them different names. But these are not official proposals to Ukraine". Zelenskyy pointed out that it was unclear whose proposals these were – whether they represented the US vision or were the result of the Americans' discussions with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Quote: "But Ukraine does not legally recognise Crimea as Russian, it is outside our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine. This will not happen, I think we've declared this in relation to any temporarily occupied territory. And the Constitution of Ukraine declares this by its existence." Details: Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian delegation of senior officials will be mandated to discuss an unconditional or partial ceasefire on 23 April. "We're ready for this stage. We're also ready to record that after the ceasefire, we're ready to sit down in any format so that there is no impasse," the Ukrainian leader stressed. Regarding NATO, Zelenskyy is confident that the United States and Russia have a dialogue on NATO membership of Ukraine. However, "no one except NATO countries has the right to veto Ukraine's accession to the Alliance," he added. Regarding the Zaporizhzhia NPP, Zelenskyy noted that it cannot operate without Ukraine, emphasising that the United States will need Ukrainian technical staff. Quote: "If we, together with the United States, rebuild the nuclear power plant when the Russians leave and we earn money from electricity, then this is a normal situation. But there has been no official proposal for the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Ukraine is not against a partnership with America to recover any facility." Background: The Wall Street Journal noted in an article that the United States is waiting for Kyiv's response, particularly regarding the recognition of Crimea as Russian and Ukraine's refusal to join NATO. In addition, Washington is considering the idea of a neutral territory around the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
