Like Leopold, King of the Belgians in the late 19th century, Donald Trump sees Ukraine as his private backyard, which he can share with his friends, especially the super-oligarchs who surround him in the White House. Is Trump’s view of Ukraine’s riches any different? No, it isn’t.
Like Leopold, King of the Belgians at the end of the 19th century, Donald Trump sees Ukraine as his private backyard, which he can share with his friends, especially the super-oligarchs who surround him in the White House. The Congo was Leopold’s private property, which he exploited as he pleased. The intensive rubber production left a trail of deaths, but His Majesty became rich. Is Trump’s view of Ukraine’s riches any different? No, it isn’t. Rare earths are the resources that media companies need, and Trump guarantees them the plunder. All good guys.
The figures were the first statement of this plan of extraction. Trump said: we are owed 500 billion. In reality, US spending and investment in the war was 175 billion, of which 70 billion was earmarked for purchases from US companies. They were announced as loans and donations, but now the White House is demanding five times the actual expenditure. This is a lesson in the generous support of the United States.
The plan continued and Trump explained that he wanted half of the profits from the sale of these rare minerals, the value of future concessions and the profits from the operation of ports and other infrastructure. Leopold had it all, Trump wants half of five times as much and, as expected, Zelensky agreed the next day, promising to defend his country from plunder. The European promises regarding the risk of Ukraine in the hands of its “former ally”, in the words of our president, were of little use - they were of no use, the capitulation was quicker than the ultimatum. Blackrock, which had already distinguished itself in managing the invasion of Iraq, is now back on the attack. It’s a small world.
The alliance between Trump and Putin is the other side of this coin, and the Russian leader is slyly offering American companies a way to trade his country’s resources. Peace between oligarchs is the result of this maneuver. And the European powers are holding meetings one after the other. Will we ever get used to this?
This text is part of Francisco Louçã's intervention in the podcast “Um pouco mais de azul”, which also features journalist Fernando Alves and poet Rita Taborda Duarte. The full podcast is available here