The US is demanding far more from Ukraine in a proposed agreement on mineral resources than it spends on Ukraine’s defense, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The deal, as it stands, is not one that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would accept, according to CNN.
Recently, US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia after US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and the refusal to sign a rare minerals investment deal. The Ukrainian leader declined to sign a US agreement on resource transfers worth $500 billion, stating that Ukraine had received only $98.5 billion from the US since 2022. The agreement also lacked security guarantees or assurances of further military aid, alongside other unfavorable terms.
“It is a strange offer to try and take from a country that is a victim of war, more than it cost to pay for its defence,” the source told CNN.
The US is seeking access to Ukraine’s strategically important resources, while Ukraine is pushing for security guarantees—not just the return of lost territories but also protection against future Russian aggression.
According to the report, Ukraine continues to insist on changes to the agreement because the current draft “does not foresee any American obligations while Ukraine is expected to provide everything,” Negotiations stretched into the night of 22 February, but Ukraine is not yet ready to sign.
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz even mentioned an aluminum mine that, if modernized with American investment, could fully meet the US’s annual demand. The agreement is reportedly almost finalized, but details on the official signing remain unclear.
The visit of US Special Representative Keith Kellogg to Ukraine led to what sources called “very good meetings,” bringing the deal closer to completion.
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