The terms of a revised American proposal for a share of Ukraine’s mineral and natural resource revenues appear even stricter for Kyiv than an earlier version that Ukrainian leaders rejected, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
The draft agreement demands that Ukraine hand over $500 billion in resource earnings to the United States, a sum far exceeding the value of American aid provided to the war-torn country.
Citing the draft proposal dated February 21, the newspaper says the core U.S. demands from the initial version—handing over half of all future revenues from Ukraine’s natural resource extraction—remain unchanged.
The new document stipulates that proceeds from the sale of minerals, gas, oil, and other resources would flow into a U.S.-controlled fund until it reaches the $500 billion mark set by President Donald Trump.
This amount is far more than the $183 billion Congress gave to help Ukraine fight Russia, with just over half directly aiding Kyiv. Moreover, The New York Times reports that Washington now seeks twice the value of any future aid Ukraine might receive under the deal.
Despite Kyiv’s pleas, the proposal “does not provide any specific security commitments in return from the United States,” the newspaper wrote.
Citing the draft proposal dated February 21, the newspaper says the core U.S. demands from the initial version—handing over half of all future revenues from Ukraine’s natural resource extraction—remain unchanged.
The new document stipulates that proceeds from the sale of minerals, gas, oil, and other resources would flow into a U.S.-controlled fund until it reaches the $500 billion mark set by President Donald Trump.
This amount is far more than the $183 billion Congress gave to help Ukraine fight Russia, with just over half directly aiding Kyiv. Moreover, The New York Times reports that Washington now seeks twice the value of any future aid Ukraine might receive under the deal.
Despite Kyiv’s pleas, the proposal “does not provide any specific security commitments in return from the United States,” the newspaper wrote.
The Trump administration’s terms escalated further as now the new proposal states that if Ukraine liberates territories currently occupied by Russia, the U.S. would claim two-thirds of the resource revenues from those areas, up from the 50 percent outlined for non-occupied regions.
Remarkably, Kyiv is seriously weighing the proposal despite its severity. Ukraine’s refusal of the initial draft angered President Trump, who accused Ukraine of starting the war and labeled President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator”.
By Friday, Trump softened his tone, expressing confidence that Kyiv would soon sign. “We’re going to either sign a deal, or there’s going to be a lot of problems with them,” he said in the Oval Office, according to the New Tork Times.
Sources cited by Reuters suggest the U.S. threatened to cut Ukraine’s military off from the Starlink satellite system—critical for its battlefield communications—if it didn’t comply.
The White House, however, has consistently framed the deal as a “great opportunity” for Ukraine.
Remarkably, Kyiv is seriously weighing the proposal despite its severity. Ukraine’s refusal of the initial draft angered President Trump, who accused Ukraine of starting the war and labeled President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator”.
By Friday, Trump softened his tone, expressing confidence that Kyiv would soon sign. “We’re going to either sign a deal, or there’s going to be a lot of problems with them,” he said in the Oval Office, according to the New Tork Times.
Sources cited by Reuters suggest the U.S. threatened to cut Ukraine’s military off from the Starlink satellite system—critical for its battlefield communications—if it didn’t comply.
The White House, however, has consistently framed the deal as a “great opportunity” for Ukraine.
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