Ukraine funding deal delayed amid Greenland dispute – FT
The signing of a multi-billion Ukraine reconstruction plan originally scheduled to take place in Davos this week has been delayed, the Financial Times has reported, citing officials. Disputes over Washington’s pursuit of Greenland are cited as a cause.
The so-called ‘prosperity plan’ between Ukraine, EU and the US, worth around $800 billion, is intended to provide Kiev with financing for reconstruction after a ceasefire through 2040. It is reportedly structured around the rare-earth minerals deal clinched by US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky last year.
Trump has insisted that the ‘prosperity plan’ would recoup the billions the previous US administration spent on Ukraine. According to The Telegraph, US envoy Steve Witkoff has called the deal a crucial part of the overall ceasefire package he has been negotiating with Russia for the past few months.
“No signing as of now,” one EU official told FT. “There has been a shift in the mood,” said another, referring to the Greenland crisis.
Moscow has long maintained that Kiev’s backers in Europe are obstructing the Ukraine peace talks. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last month that after the Trump administration came to power in Washington, Europe “has emerged as the main obstacle to peace.”
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky are “at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done.”
He also doubled-down on his demand for control of Greenland, saying that he was seeking “immediate negotiations” for the ownership of the Arctic island, but that he would not use force.
According to FT, the ‘prosperity plan’ is not being indefinitely shelved and could still be signed at a later date.
