BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Washington's mask has once again slipped. The abrupt collapse of U.S.-Ukraine talks over the weekend was not mere diplomatic friction. Behind the crumbling veneer of etiquette lies Washington's frustration over its stalled scheme to plunder Ukraine's natural resources.
According to a draft agreement between the United States and Ukraine, the latter will put 50 percent of the future revenues from its state-owned natural resources into a fund "jointly managed" by Washington and Kiev.
This deal extends far beyond minerals and rare earth elements; it encompasses Ukraine's oil and gas reserves, as well as crucial infrastructure such as ports and liquified natural gas terminals.
No wonder even Western media outlets called the deal "an economic colonization of Ukraine." Some Ukrainian media outlets also described it as "a colonial agreement."
Despite Kiev's monumental concessions on its economic future, its most pressing concern -- security guarantees from Washington -- was left unaddressed, leading up to the blow-up in the White House.
History abounds with grim reminders of how Washington pursued its own strategic and economic interests at the expense of the well-being or sovereignty of other countries.
The 20-year-long war in Afghanistan left a death toll of 174,000 people, including over 30,000 civilians, and a country in rubble when the United States ultimately withdrew.
Similarly, the Iraq War, waged in 2003 on the pretext of "weapons of mass destruction" that were never found, resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands and paved the way for the extraction of Iraq's oil.
In Ukraine, the pattern is disturbingly familiar. The resources in question may have shifted to rare earth minerals, but the script remains unchanged.
In the long record of Washington's exploitation of others, Ukraine risks becoming the latest casualty. ■
