ISTANBUL
Ukraine said the minerals agreement it recently signed with the US is an important part of future security guarantees for the war-torn country.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova said their strategic partnership with Washington is important for Kyiv, and that they are grateful to the American people for their support.
She argued that without Javelins and other weapons provided to Ukraine by the US during Donald Trump's presidency, Kyiv would not have been able to defend itself.
Markarova recalled the economic partnership agreement signed between Ukraine and the US late last month, saying the deal will take their partnership to a new level. The new deal includes the development of mineral, oil and gas projects.
“So look, we might have some disagreements in some areas, but Ukraine is committed to peace. Ukraine wants peace more than anyone, and we need (the) US,” Markarova said.
“And now it's not only the right or moral thing to do, to the fact to support Ukraine, but also, the US has, as your Secretary of Treasury said, an interest and specific economic interest in Ukraine,” she added.
With regards to security guarantees for Ukraine, the ambassador said the recently signed economic partnership deal is, in itself, an important part of a broader security architecture.
“And frankly, that fund will be successful if Ukraine is stable and peaceful. So in a way, it's an important part of the future security guarantees,” she said.
Markarova also reacted to statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
“ I mean, I think 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," she said. He is a threat, not only to Ukraine, but also to anyone who believes that nations should live peacefully, do not challenge each other's borders, and just focus on the economic cooperation.”
In a documentary film about Putin's quarter of a century as Russia's leader, the president said there has been no need to use nuclear weapons and he hopes they will not be required.
He added that his country has enough strength and resources to bring the armed conflict in Ukraine, which has continued since February 2022, to its "logical conclusion," and with the "result that Russia needs."