ROME, February 28. /TASS/. The minerals agreement between Kiev and Washington will essentially divide Ukraine into two parts, one of which, for all intents and purposes, can be considered the 51st US state, reported Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.

It believes that the agreement giving the United States control over Ukrainian resources is tied to the negotiation process between Washington and Moscow, because this deal indirectly provides guarantees for Russia's security.

According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, "the rare earth metals agreement is the first step in the peace process, which involves dividing Ukraine into two parts": territories that will remain with Russia, and a "new Ukraine" that will be controlled not by the UN, the EU or NATO, but directly by Washington. "This 'new Ukraine' will become a kind of 51st US state. And this in itself will become a guarantee of security for Moscow, since no one will risk a direct clash between the United States and Russia," the publication believes.

The document was never published. The media has been leaking the details. The agreement says that an investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine, which will receive 50% of the country's income from minerals - not only rare earth metals, but also other resources, including titanium, uranium, lithium – will be set up. The United States will be the main beneficiary of the fund, and will also control its activities, including the issuance of mining licenses, and will have the right to audit its activities. According to European and Ukrainian media reports, a clause saying that Kiev needs to give the United States $500 billion to replenish the fund was removed from the final version of the agreement.

A provision was added saying the funds will be invested in projects in Ukraine.

The final version of the agreement does not contain any security guarantees from Washington, something Kiev had been pushing for. The agreement is of a framework nature, and special documents will be developed later to regulate the fund's activities and other aspects of economic cooperation between Ukraine and the United States. The document is to be signed on February 28 during Zelensky's visit to Washington.