Ukraine is close to finalizing an agreement to transfer part of its natural resource revenues to the United States, reflecting the Trump administration's push for a more transactional foreign policy. The current proposal does not provide explicit security guarantees against Russian aggression, indicating a shift from traditional alliances. Analysts criticize this arrangement as resembling a protection racket, asserting that the U.S.'s demand for Ukraine's mineral wealth amid its current crisis exemplifies a troubling trend towards transactional diplomacy over cooperative security.
The explicit demand for Ukraine's mineral wealth while the country is in dire straits has the feel of a protection racket, said Virginia Page Fortna, a political scientist at Columbia University.
The mere existence of American economic interests should be sufficient for Ukraine, which is facing a harsh reality: The United States wants to be paid in exchange for helping.
This minerals agreement would represent a major escalation in Trump's transactional approach to foreign policy, moving away from traditional diplomatic engagements.
Once seen as the world's policeman, to many analysts the United States now seems more like an extortionate Mafia kingpin.
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