Washington, DC: The United States and Ukraine have signed an “economic partnership agreement”, giving Washington access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in return for creating an investment fund in the country, CNN reported. Since President Donald Trump assumed office in January, the US and Ukraine have been trying to sign an agreement on natural resources.

The deal between the two nations comes after weeks of intense negotiations that at times became bitter and temporarily derailed US aid to Ukraine. On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department said that both nations signed the agreement. In a statement, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “As the President has said, the United States is committed to helping facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war.”

He stated, “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centred on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” CNN reported. He noted, “And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.” Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was in the US to sign the agreement on behalf of the Ukrainian government.

In a post on X, Svyrydenko stated, “On behalf of the Government of Ukraine, I signed the Agreement on the Establishment of a United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment into our country.”

In the post, she stated, “It is the Ukrainian state that determines what and where to extract. Subsoil remains under Ukrainian ownership — this is clearly established in the Agreement.” The two nations signed the deal just hours after a last-minute disagreement over which documents to sign Wednesday threatened to derail the agreement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to sign the agreement during his visit to the US in February. However, the agreement was not signed after his visit was cut short following the contentious Oval Office meeting. The key sticking point of the negotiations included the question of security guarantees and whether the US would provide them as part of the agreement. Initially, Trump refused, saying he wanted Ukraine to sign the deal first and talk about security guarantees later, CNN reported.

At that time, Zelenskyy called the draft agreement as asking him to “sell” his nation. Since then, Ukrainian officials indicated they believed that US investment and the presence of US firms in Ukraine will make the US more interested in security of Ukraine.

Shortly after his visit, Trump ordered the suspension of US aid to Ukraine. The assistance has now been restored. However, his decision became a major wake-up call for Ukraine’s European allies, who have vowed to step up their help to Ukraine.

Trump has largely termed the agreement as Ukraine “paying back” for the aid which has been provided by the US to Ukraine since Russia started its military action in Ukraine in 2022.

The details of the agreement have not been disclosed publicly. However, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday that the agreement “will not include assistance provided before its signing”, CNN reported.

Speaking on Wednesday, he called the deal a “strategic agreement on the establishment of an investment partnership fund”. He further said, “It is truly an equal and beneficial international agreement on joint investments in the development and recovery of Ukraine between the US and Ukrainian governments.”

Shmyhal said that under the deal, the US and Ukraine will create a joint investment fund in Ukraine with equal contributions from both and equal distribution of management shares between them. He said, “The American side may also count new, I emphasise new, military aid to Ukraine as a contribution to this fund.”

Over 1700 money laundering cases probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are currently in the trial stage. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Over 1700 money laundering cases probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are currently in the trial stage, and the delay in courts can be attributed to the general delay in the justice system in the country, ED Director Rahul Navin said on Thursday (May 1, 2025).

The top officer of the ED, however, said the conviction rate of the ED cases was 93.6%, as out of 47 cases decided by courts till now, there have been only three acquittals.

A total of 1,739 cases of PMLA are under trial at present, and the delay in prosecution in the money laundering cases can be attributed to general delay in the justice system in the country, he said while addressing the ED Day event held here.

Mr. Navin said he “candidly” acknowledges pending investigation in PMLA cases, saying it will be the agency’s efforts to file chargesheets in such cases before courts.

He said the ED will use advanced technology and forensics in its investigations. The federal probe agency has completed 69 years of its existence as it was established on May 1, 1956.

It implements two criminal laws — The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) — apart from the civil provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday criticised the Congress for taking credit for the inclusion of caste-based enumeration in the upcoming census and questioned why previous Congress governments had failed to implement such a move.
Slamming Congress’ slogan “Sarkar tumhari, system humara” (Your government, our system), Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a “staunch opponent of caste-based reservations,” which is why a caste census was not conducted under his leadership.
Addressing a press conference, Pradhan said, “They claim the government is theirs, and the system is ours. When this issue was raised, it should have been discussed openly. The country deserves to know the truth. In 1951, whose government was it? Whose system was in place? The last caste census was conducted in 1931. The country wasn’t independent in 1941, so it wasn’t done then. But in 1951, who was in power? It was the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.”
“This is well known. If it weren’t for Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, social sensitivity wouldn’t be a national concern. If the advice of the Constituent Assembly had not been heeded, there would be no reservations today. Why? Because the first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, strongly opposed caste-based reservations. His opposition wasn’t limited to words—he even wrote letters to state chief ministers at the time, warning that caste-based opportunities would degrade quality,” he added.
Pradhan further targeted the Gandhi family for not acting on the Kaka Kalelkar Report and the Mandal Commission Report.
“Who controlled the system? Who decided to suppress the Kaka Kalelkar Committee report for years? Even then, the so-called ‘First Family,’ which now speaks so arrogantly, held the reins of power. The command lay with their grandmother, the then Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi,” he said.
“The Janata Party government introduced the Mandal Commission in 1977 to realign the course of social justice. At that time, the BJP, in its earlier form as Jan Sangh, was part of the Janata Party. Leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani were part of that government. But who kept the Mandal Commission report locked away for a decade? Who was in power? It was the Congress Party. This is sheer hypocrisy and arrogance,” he added.
His remarks come after the Congress credited the Modi government’s decision to conduct a caste-based census to Rahul Gandhi’s persistent advocacy, calling it a victory for his vision.
“Rahul Gandhi ji said, ‘Start counting.’ Now the Modi government is making arrangements for the count,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “When our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi ji called the caste census the ‘X-ray of society,’ the ruling party mocked him, ignored him, and delayed action.”
“He has long demanded this—raising the issue repeatedly in Parliament, at public gatherings, and during his travels. But how long can the voice of millions demanding their rights be ignored? Now that the Modi government has agreed to conduct a caste census, we say—better late than never! This is a significant step toward ensuring social justice. It is a victory for millions of Indians who have long fought for equality, fairness, and representation,” Ramesh added.
A caste census is systematic recording of individuals’ caste identities during a national census. In India, where caste deeply influences social, economic, and political life, such data can provide critical insights into the distribution and socio-economic status of various caste groups. This information is vital for shaping policies related to affirmative action and social justice.
Caste enumeration was a routine feature of census exercises during British rule, from 1881 to 1931. However, with the first census of independent India in 1951, the practice was discontinued—except for the enumeration of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.