Anxious to get its hands on Ukraine's natural resources, the US administration has presented Kyiv with a new version of the strategic minerals agreement, which the Ukrainian government is closely examining. Discussions are continuing, and the final version could vary. "We need to get the opinion of our legal advisers," said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference on Friday, March 28, suggesting that the document would not be signed as quickly as Washington wanted, that is, "by next week," which according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would be between March 31 and April 6.

Asked about the content of the new agreement, Zelensky seemed to be treading very carefully, referring vaguely to "many things that had not been discussed and some that had already been rejected by the parties." He was, however, firm on one point: The aid granted to his country by the previous US administration was a gift and not a debt, in line with what had been agreed with former president Joe Biden. Conversely, the current president, Donald Trump, considered it to be a debt. He has therefore demanded that Ukraine repay all US budgetary, military and humanitarian assistance provided after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, according to the new version of the agreement, published by the Bloomberg agency and Ukrainian media.

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