The president cut a very good deal with Ukraine the other day.

The rare earth minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine is a deal Ukraine should have signed back in February. Well, they finally came around and signed it on Wednesday.

According to the New York Post:

The agreement, inked on Wednesday after months of negotiations, created a shared investment fund to which both nations will contribute — including through oil, gas and mineral rights licenses sold in Ukraine — with the profits split 50/50.

So the United States is not taking money and just throwing it into this fund. We will basically earn credit toward our total contribution equal to the cost of military equipment, technology, or training that we send across the Atlantic. The additional military aid we provide to Ukraine is going to be counted against whatever we would have had to pay into this fund. In some ways, we’re trading military aid for the development of rare earth minerals in Ukraine. Again, we need rare earth minerals because we’re presumably not going to get them from China anymore. Ukraine, on the other hand, requires military aid to stand up against the Russian onslaught. It is a good thing, full stop.

President Trump is now showing support for a free and independent Ukraine, and that is an important step. From the NY Post:

The agreement does not preclude the US from dispatching remaining military aid approved by Congress under former President Joe Biden — which is expected to run out by next month — nor does it require the US to sell any military aid to Kyiv.

It’s not clear how much money is supposed to go into the fund, but the bottom line is that instead of just providing pure military aid, we are now getting something significant in return.

The Ukrainians see this as a way of ensuring continued American support.

WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show

One source familiar with the strategy originally thought maybe they could leverage the president into a better deal for Ukraine. That did not happen. However, the Ukrainian representative said this is a good deal for both sides.

The Kremlin also recognizes the significance of the deal, albeit through sarcasm.

The deal was mocked by Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev (everybody in the Russian government is a cut-out for Putin), who said the U.S. leader made a deal with a nation that will soon “disappear.”

From the NY Post:

Trump has finally pressured the Kyiv regime to pay for US aid with mineral resources,” he posted to Telegram. “Now, the country that is about to disappear will have to use its national wealth to pay for military supplies.

That does not sound like a Russia that is ready to come to the table again.

Though the White House itself, in its explanation of the minerals deal, suggested:

This partnership represents the United States taking an economic stake in securing a free, peaceful, and sovereign future for Ukraine.

This agreement will also strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and Ukraine for long-term reconstruction and modernization, in response to the large-scale destruction caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The language of this agreement is some of the most pro-Ukrainian language to come from the Trump administration. This is a positive and necessary shift. If you want Russia to come to the table, the United States can’t threaten to walk away from Ukraine.

According to the White House Fact Sheet:

President Trump envisioned this partnership between the Americans and the Ukrainians to show both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine.

And by the way:

No state, company, or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine, including participation in projects supported by fund resources.

So, good for Ukraine, good for the United States, and good for President Trump.

The Environmental Protection Agency will save $300 million per year through a massive reorganization by completely slashing unnecessary climate programs and reducing staffing levels to levels not seen since the Reagan administration, the agency announced Friday.

Administrator Lee Zeldin said the streamlined reorganization is oriented towards focusing on the agency’s “core mission,” which he defines as “protecting human health and the environment.” Rather than focusing on environmental justice, it will focus on its statutory responsibilities such as air quality and safety of the water supply.

“With these organizational improvements, we recommit to fulfilling all of our statutory obligations and exceptionally delivering on EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment,” said Zeldin. “This reorganization will bring much needed efficiencies to incorporate science into our rule makings and sharply focus our work on providing the cleanest air, land, and water for our communities. It will also save at least $300 million annually for the American people.”

A source familiar with the restructuring told The Daily Wire that the reorganization could lead to future cuts amounting to around 10% of the current workforce. In the ongoing round of the Deferred Resignation Program, better known as the “fork in the road” option for federal employees to leave government, there has been significant interest.

The agency has already received about 1,300 applications to leave, a source told The Daily Wire. The first “fork in the road” offer months ago yielded around 545 early resignations.

With the ongoing restructuring, more employees could soon be taking up the offer to leave. Over 8,300 EPA employees hopped on a briefing this week to learn about the agency’s ongoing Deferred Resignation Program and the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority.

Side by side of current and proposed EPA Administrator Office restructuring.

The changes will primarily impact the Office of the Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), and Office of Water as the agency will seek to focus on its core statutory duties. Specifically, climate and atmospheric focused programs inside the Office of Air and Radiation are expected to be on the chopping block.

In some cases, the agency will also be incorporating more modern issues into the departments. For example, the Office of Water will now have more of a focus on cybersecurity to protect the water supply and water reuse issues. The agency will also be looking to form the Office of State Air Partnerships within the Office of Air and Radiation.

Earlier this year, the EPA ended the Biden administration’s diversity, equity, and inclusion office and its Office of Environmental Justice. With this move, the agency cut 280 employees and moved another 175 to perform tasks for other offices.