Russian invasion

Negotiations
Ukraine has received draft mineral agreement

Ukraine has received a new American proposal for a mineral agreement with the United States, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyj according to AFP. According to Zelenskyj, the draft differs from what the countries have previously discussed.

He further says that Ukraine cannot accept an agreement that threatens future EU membership, or that American aid is treated as a loan.

On Thursday, several media outlets reported that a new draft contains new extensive demands from the American side. If the demands were to become reality, the United States would in principle have veto power over infrastructure and mineral investments in Ukraine, in a way that, according to Bloomberg, would make it more difficult for Ukraine to join the Union.

It is not clear from the news agencies' reporting whether the proposal that Ukraine has now received contains such demands.

Ukraine: Agreement with the US not ready – list of demands “huge”

The much-talked-about mineral agreement between the US and Ukraine is not ready yet. Officials tell Reuters.

The announcement comes after the US made new demands in its latest draft. It states that they should receive all the income Ukraine earns from mineral extraction until all US military aid, plus interest, is repaid, writes Reuters, which has seen the agreement. A source tells the news agency that the US list of demands was “huge”. The sum is estimated at 123 billion dollars, according to Ukrainian Pravda.

So far, there is no new draft from the Ukrainian side. It is still being negotiated in the various ministries, says Mykhailo Podoliak from Zelenskyy’s administration.

Bloomberg reported yesterday that the agreement could also give the US a veto over Ukraine’s allies and make it more difficult for the country to become a member of the EU.

Accusations are pouring in: Ceasefire violated

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of carrying out attacks on energy infrastructure, AFP reports.

On Friday morning, the Kremlin claimed that several missiles and drones had been fired from Ukraine at a measuring station in Kursk and an oil refinery in central Russia. Ukraine denies the accusations.

The Kremlin also wrote in a statement that it has the right to withdraw from the agreement if Ukraine “continues” to attack energy, Reuters reports.

Later in the day, new accusations came. The Ukrainian state oil and gas operator claims that its facilities have been attacked by Russia.

The accusations come at the same time that the parties, together with the United States, have agreed on a 30-day ceasefire specifically targeting energy infrastructure. The Kremlin has claimed that the agreement has been active since March 18, but monitoring of the agreement is unclear, writes AFP.

Blacklisted companies
Municipalities forced to end boycott against Mondelez

Swedish municipalities are not allowed to boycott companies that operate in Russia. The Court of Appeal has ruled, reports P4 Uppland.

In light of the Russian invasion, Uppsala Municipality has chosen to boycott goods from the food company Mondelez, which has continued its operations in Russia. That boycott must be ended in light of the Court of Appeal's decision.

- As a private individual, I will continue to boycott Mondelez, but we as a municipality cannot impose that requirement in procurements, says the chairman of the municipal board, Erik Pelling (S), to the radio channel.

Mondelez owns, among other things, the Swedish candy giant Marabou.

Swedish reactions
Stayed in Russia: “I couldn’t pay my way out”

Bandy player Simon Jansson wanted to leave Russia but didn’t have the financial means to break his then-newly signed contract with the club Kuzbass. He tells the website Bandypuls.

Jansson has represented the Russian club for three years, after the war of invasion began in Ukraine, and is back in Sweden now that the contract has expired.

The player says that the Russian club demanded two-thirds of the value of the contract to break it. If he had known that Ukraine would be invaded, he would have made a different decision.

– I couldn’t pay my way out of it. It was completely impossible. Then I would have had to take out a large loan from the bank, he says, adding that he understands the criticism that followed.