Benjamin Dousa, Sweden’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, explained Sweden’s strategic shift in aid distribution: “Ukraine is the government’s most important foreign policy priority. Therefore, we are now deprioritizing, for example, bilateral assistance to Burkina Faso and Mali, which support Russia, and budgeting to increase civilian support to Ukraine by SEK 1.1 billion.”
Ukraine and U.S. Finalize Minerals Deal
In a parallel development, Ukraine and the United States have reached a draft agreement on a minerals deal. This agreement is crucial for securing ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine during the war.
Former President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to visit Washington to finalize the deal. Trump commented, “I hear that he’s coming on Friday. Certainly, it’s okay with me if he’d like to. And he would like to sign it together with me.”
The deal aims to establish a Reconstruction Investment Fund, through which Ukraine will allocate a portion of its mineral revenues. Trump emphasized its significance: “What we’re doing is now we’re saying, look, we want to be secured. The American taxpayer now is going to get their money back, plus.”
