Latest news with #Markarova
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minerals deal 'important part' of future security guarantees, ambassador says
The minerals deal signed between Ukraine and the U.S. is "an important part of... future security guarantees," Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said on May 4 in an interview with CBS News. "So this economic partnership deal in itself is a very important part of the broader security... architecture... frankly, that fund will be successful if Ukraine is stable and peaceful. So in a way, it's an important part of... future security guarantees," Markarova . "(T)his is an economic partnership agreement to create an investment fund... for both of our nations to benefit from amazing investment opportunities that Ukraine has," Markarova added. Ukraine and the U.S. on April 30 signed a that establishes a joint investment fund in Ukraine. The deal was negotiated over several months and led to a low point in bilateral relations following the infamous between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 28. Markarova noted the minerals agreement is an "economic partnership agreement" beyond just rare earths. "(I)t's a true partnership where we would be able to put resources together in order to invest into a wide range of projects, including , including rare earths, including critical minerals, and both of our nations will benefit from it," Markarova said. "Ukraine has agricultural land and black soil... even during the war, we feed more than 400 million people. We have , we have... critical mineral deposits. We have so much, including... human talent, and we can develop it together," she said. Markarova noted the minerals deal builds on U.S. support for Ukraine throughout Russia's full-scale against Ukraine. "(W)e might have some disagreements... in some areas, but Ukraine is committed to peace. Ukraine wants more than anyone. We are defending freedom in Ukraine. We are not the ones who started this war," Markarova said. Markarova described the relationship between Ukraine and the as a "strategic partnership." "Look, our partnership with the U.S. is very important... We are really grateful to (the) American people for all the support that we are getting from the U.S. It would not be possible for us to defend ourselves without those Javelins, without those that (the) U.S. has provided us," Markarova said First Deputy Prime Minister and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signed the minerals deal in Washington on April 30. The could begin operating within months of its ratification by the Verkhovna Rada, Svyrydenko said on May 1. Read also: 'I just hate the Russians' — Kyiv district recovers from drone strike as ceasefire remains elusive We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian ambassador to US on Putin's nuclear weapons comments: ‘He is a threat'
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., weighed in on Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks about nuclear weapons, saying 'he is a threat' that should be taken at his word. Markarova joined CBS News's 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, where host Margaret Brennan asked what she made of Putin's recent comment about how he hopes nuclear weapons 'will not be required' to end the Russia-Ukraine war. 'At this point, it doesn't matter how we interpret what he says. We just have to believe what he says and understand what he says,' Markarova said. 'He is a threat, not only to Ukraine, but also to anyone who believes that nations should live peacefully.' In a recent interview with Russian state media, shared with The Associated Press, Putin said a reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine was 'inevitable.' When asked about Ukrainian strikes in Russian territory, he said so far in the war, there has been no need for Russia to use nuclear weapons and he hopes 'they will not be required' in the future. Markarova said it is 'very difficult to interpret' Putin, who has launched attacks on other nations and his own, but she highlighted the partnerships that Ukraine has sought with allied countries, including the U.S., with the hope that they can come together and 'bring peace not only to our part of the world, but globally.' 'Putin is doing it together with Iran and North Korea. They are not hiding it. They are supporting other terroristic regimes, and we should also stay together in order to bring peace,' she said. The comments come just days after the U.S. and Ukraine secured a long-awaited minerals deal, marking a step closer to ending the war, which has proved to be a more difficult task than the Trump administration anticipated. While the deal is a step in the right direction, officials warn a ceasefire is still a ways off, particularly as fighting continues in the region. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Ukrainian ambassador to US on Putin's nuclear weapons comments: ‘He is a threat'
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., weighed in on Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks about nuclear weapons, saying 'he is a threat' that should be taken at his word. Markarova joined CBS News's 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, where host Margaret Brennan asked what she made of Putin's recent comment about how he hopes nuclear weapons 'will not be required' to end the Russia-Ukraine war. 'At this point, it doesn't matter how we interpret what he says. We just have to believe what he says and understand what he says,' Markarova said. 'He is a threat, not only to Ukraine, but also to anyone who believes that nations should live peacefully.' In a recent interview with Russian state media, shared with The Associated Press, Putin said a reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine was 'inevitable.' When asked about Ukrainian strikes in Russian territory, he said so far in the war, there has been no need for Russia to use nuclear weapons and he hopes 'they will not be required' in the future. Markarova said it is 'very difficult to interpret' Putin, who has launched attacks on other nations and his own, but she highlighted the partnerships that Ukraine has sought with allied countries, including the U.S., with the hope that they can come together and 'bring peace not only to our part of the world, but globally.' 'Putin is doing it together with Iran and North Korea. They are not hiding it. They are supporting other terroristic regimes and we should also stay together in order to bring peace,' she said. The comments come just days after the U.S. and Ukraine secured a long-awaited mineral deal, marking a step closer to ending the war, which has proved to be a more difficult task than the Trump administration anticipated.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine won't hold elections until Russia's war is over, Ukraine's envoy to US says
Ukraine won't hold elections until Russia's war is over, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova told Suspilne in an interview published on Feb. 4. Markarova's statement comes after Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, called for parliamentary and presidential elections in Ukraine by the end of the year, especially if Kyiv reaches a ceasefire deal with Moscow. Elections are banned from being held in Ukraine during martial law, which has been in effect since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The U.S. hasn't yet discussed with Ukraine the necessity of holding elections by the end of 2025, according to Markarova. "Ukraine and America are free countries. Everyone can speak their mind. If this issue is addressed, we are certainly ready for this discussion, as we have done before. We will be very happy if elections are held in Ukraine because it will mean that we have won this war," Markarova said. Kellogg previously argued that most democratic nations hold elections during wartime and that doing so would strengthen Ukraine's democracy. Under martial law, presidential, parliamentary, and local elections are banned in Ukraine. If martial law had not been imposed, a presidential election would have been held on March 31, 2024, and President Volodymyr Zelensky's term would have ended on May 20, 2024. To be able to hold elections during martial law, Ukraine would need to make changes to the legislature, as well as set up infrastructure for Ukrainian refugees abroad, military personnel on duty, and Ukrainians living in areas close to the war zone to be able to vote. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian attacks have destroyed some of Ukraine's electoral infrastructure. Ukraine does not currently have the appropriate infrastructure or mechanism to organize elections that guarantee all citizens' electoral and political rights, according to Ukrainian Civili Network Opora. Earlier on Jan. 2, Zelensky suggested that if the "hot phase of the war is over," the parliament could lift martial law and set a date for elections. Read also: Trump seeks Ukrainian rare earths in exchange for aid, Kyiv keen to agree, source says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
