Russian invasion

Minerals agreement
Expert: US mining projects in Ukraine more than a decade away

It will be a long time before the newly signed economic agreement with Ukraine can generate profits for the United States, according to industry experts the Washington Post has spoken to.

Ukraine is not known for the rare earth metals that are most interesting to American industry, and industry representatives see limited opportunities for gas and oil extraction. The gas reserves are in conflict zones, which could make companies reluctant to invest even if a peace agreement were to be reached.

Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes, who was a senior official in Joe Biden's Energy Department, says that mines to extract titanium, graphite and lithium could be built in ten years in a best-case scenario. But the margins are small and it is already difficult to attract investment in countries where security risks are low.

– Imagine how much harder it will be to raise money for activities in Ukraine.

The world's response
Sources: Over 30 billion in Russian assets to go to companies

Over the equivalent of 30 billion kronor in seized Russian assets at Euroclear are expected to go to Western investors who have had assets seized in Russia. This is reported by Reuters, citing sources.

This marks a new level of financial backlash from Europe, the news agency writes. The companies that will receive the money were notified in April, after Euroclear received approval from its domicile Belgium for the payments.

Euroclear is sitting on the equivalent of 100 billion kronor in frozen Russian assets after the sanctions, which were introduced after the invasion of Ukraine.

After a long wait – US approves F-16 deal

The US has approved an agreement with Ukraine that means they can secure the maintenance of the important F-16 fighter jet, reports AFP.

The agreement means that Ukraine can continue to buy personnel training and important aircraft parts worth $310 million, equivalent to approximately SEK 3 billion.

The agreement was presented by Donald Trump's predecessor Joe Biden but has been dormant since Trump took office, until now. Days before the agreement was approved, Ukraine and the United States signed the important mineral agreement.