I have one major doubt about the project’s development prospects based on both U.S. and Ukrainian sources…
I am against trading resources for security.
Because security won’t come that way.
Look:
– American companies will operate in Ukraine, just like in Africa.
– There, they extract raw materials but process and manufacture products elsewhere.
– Private military companies will protect the extraction sites (and they will appear in Ukraine as well).
– The war in Ukraine will be stopped. But will people live happily?
Yes, a few tens of thousands of jobs will be created in mining.
That’s it.
Let me give you an example I always use.
From one ton of titanium raw material worth $300, you can produce 250 kg of products (such as implants), with a final value of about $6,000 per kg (sometimes reaching up to $20,000).
Calculate the total value:
250 * 6000 = $1.5 million
That’s 5,000 times higher!
And this value does not remain in Ukraine (!!!)
As a Ukrainian citizen, I want Ukrainian minerals to be processed in Ukraine (!!!)
– With American capital
– With American technologies
– With American engineers
Let these companies be 90%-100% owned by American funds and corporations.
But let them operate in Ukraine.
Another question arises:
Why would they need Ukraine at all?
– A country ranked 150th in the world in economic freedom (hello again, Africa).
– A country with a terrible tax code and an idiotic tax system (ranked 65th globally).
– A country where tax rules have changed over 200 times in 10 years (!!!) – zero predictability.
– A country with no competitive investment incentives (R&D cost compensation, capital investment incentives, easy network connections, fast and simple procedures, free economic zones, British law…).
– A country without a strategy or strategic priorities.
– A country that does not respect private property(hello ARMA, GPU, SBU… courts).
– A country with corrupt, controlled courts and judges.
– A country without ideological parties, facing constant political turbulence, regime changes, and instability.
Shall I continue?
Overall, we’re at a dead end.
– If they only extract resources without processing them – I am against it. 100% of Ukrainians, the rightful owners of these resources, will be against it.
– But processing is impossible without changing the lawlessness described above.
So maybe we should finally fix our mistakes and create the right conditions in Ukraine?
I’m certain that if there’s a real will, we can develop the necessary legal framework in just 2-3 months:
– The 10-10-10 Tax Code draft is already prepared.
– British law for the International Financial Center is already included in a 100-year agreement with the UK.
– The Long-Term Strategy only needs finalization (Ukraine Vision 2035 is ready).
– Security guarantees and access to cheap, long-term resources can be established through U.S.-Ukraine intergovernmental agreements.
U.S.-Ukraine cooperation, with both extraction and processing in Ukraine, would lead to:
– The creation of hundreds of new enterprises.
– Hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs (by Ukrainian standards, and for the U.S., Ukrainians will remain cheaper labor than Americans for the next decade).
– Tens of billions of dollars in investments.
– A hundreds-of-billions increase in the market capitalization of American corporations.
– Higher tax revenues for Ukraine and higher foreign exchange earnings from exports.
– Real security for Ukraine – because losing a mining site is one thing, but protecting territory that produces critical components for key partners is a whole different story.
As they say:
“Those who want – find opportunities, those who don’t – find excuses!”
Read, think, and share!
Tags: Business investigation Opinion Ukraine USA
