After temporarily freezing all military aid and sharing intelligence with Ukraine, President Donald Trump said Kiev needed to return hundreds of billions of dollars in US aid with mineral resources.
A version of the deal was originally scheduled to be signed in early March but was abruptly scrapped after President Zelensky had a heated debate with President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at a meeting at the Oval Office on February 28.
President Zelensky confirmed that he had received the new agreement but expressed concern about many "un disputeed" terms. In response, Mr. Trump strongly criticized: Mr. Zelensky is trying to withdraw from the rare earth agreement. If he does that, there will be a problem - a big problem, a big problem.
According to Reuters, the new version of the deal is even harsher than before, requiring Ukraine to return all aid from 2022 at a rate of 4% before enjoying the benefits from resource exploitation.
In addition, President Trump stressed that Ukraine would never have a chance to join NATO: He wants to join NATO, but that will never happen. He himself understands that.
The US has allocated more than $12.3 billion in military and financial aid to Ukraine since 2022, according to data from Germany's Kiel Institute. However, Mr. Trump claimed that the real cost that Washington would have to pay exceeded $300 billion.
