From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / May 1, 2025
US and Ukraine Sign Crucial Minerals Agreement Amid Moscow’s Rejection of Ceasefire, North Korean Losses Mount, and Russian Forces Capture Nove in Eastern Ukraine as Zelensky Warns of Potential Russian Aggression from Belarus
Summary of the Day – April 30, 2025
As diplomatic efforts falter, Ukraine and the US signed a minerals agreement establishing a joint reconstruction fund—a signal of “commitment to a free Ukraine” according to Treasury Secretary Bessent. On the battlefield, Russian forces captured Nove in Donetsk Oblast while Ukraine ordered evacuations of seven villages in Dnipropetrovsk as Russian troops attempt to reach the region’s border. Russian drone attacks killed three and injured 70 across Ukraine, with 47 wounded in Kharkiv alone. President Zelensky warned of potential Russian aggression from Belarus during upcoming military exercises. South Korean intelligence revealed 600 North Korean soldiers have died fighting for Russia. EU’s Kaja Kallas firmly stated Europe would never recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, developing a “plan B” should US abandon sanctions.
After months of negotiations that were nearly derailed by February’s infamous White House confrontation between Presidents Zelensky and Trump, Ukraine and the United States finally signed a framework agreement creating a joint investment fund to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko traveled to Washington to finalize the deal with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, following last-minute tensions over the agreement’s specific terms.
The “Reconstruction Investment Fund” will be jointly managed in equal partnership, with both governments contributing resources. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized that Ukraine retains “full control over subsoil, infrastructure, and natural resources,” while the US committed to helping attract additional investments and technologies.
“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Bessent stated, adding that “no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine” would benefit from Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Voice of Ukraine 