US seeks $100bn in compensation from Ukraine, says Bloomberg
Washington reportedly still sees a resource deal with Kiev as a means to recoup funds expended on supporting the country. The US is continuing to assert that Ukraine should pay it tens of billions of dollars through a resource deal as compensation...
TroibNews 
Washington reportedly still sees a resource deal with Kiev as a means to recoup funds expended on supporting the country.
The US is continuing to assert that Ukraine should pay it tens of billions of dollars through a resource deal as compensation for American aid during the conflict with Russia. However, it has reduced its initial estimate of the total amount, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday that cites sources.
For weeks, Washington and Kiev have been in negotiations over a resource deal—a concept initially proposed by Volodymyr Zelensky last year—that would allow the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth deposits.
Following discussions in Washington last week, officials from President Donald Trump's administration adjusted their estimate of American assistance to Ukraine from over $300 billion to approximately $100 billion, as reported by Bloomberg. Ukraine itself estimates that total US aid during the conflict with Russia exceeds $90 billion.
However, US officials still consider the resource deal “an opportunity to recoup costs in Ukraine through profits” from a yet-undetermined joint fund, according to a Bloomberg source. Ukraine has continuously rejected the notion that US aid amounts to a debt, maintaining that the assistance was provided unconditionally.
Kiev is advocating for future US investments in the joint fund, but Trump’s team has been hesitant to support this, insisting that prior American military assistance should factor into Washington’s contributions, the article noted.
When asked about the negotiations' progress, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg that the two parties “are very, very close” to reaching an agreement, which “could even be signed as early as this week.”
The sides were on the verge of finalizing a deal in late February, with a signing ceremony anticipated during Zelensky’s visit to the Oval Office. However, the meeting turned contentious, with Trump accusing Zelensky of being disrespectful, ungrateful for previous US support, hesitant to pursue peace with Russia, and “gambling with World War III.”
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
The US is continuing to assert that Ukraine should pay it tens of billions of dollars through a resource deal as compensation for American aid during the conflict with Russia. However, it has reduced its initial estimate of the total amount, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday that cites sources.
For weeks, Washington and Kiev have been in negotiations over a resource deal—a concept initially proposed by Volodymyr Zelensky last year—that would allow the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth deposits.
Following discussions in Washington last week, officials from President Donald Trump's administration adjusted their estimate of American assistance to Ukraine from over $300 billion to approximately $100 billion, as reported by Bloomberg. Ukraine itself estimates that total US aid during the conflict with Russia exceeds $90 billion.
However, US officials still consider the resource deal “an opportunity to recoup costs in Ukraine through profits” from a yet-undetermined joint fund, according to a Bloomberg source. Ukraine has continuously rejected the notion that US aid amounts to a debt, maintaining that the assistance was provided unconditionally.
Kiev is advocating for future US investments in the joint fund, but Trump’s team has been hesitant to support this, insisting that prior American military assistance should factor into Washington’s contributions, the article noted.
When asked about the negotiations' progress, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg that the two parties “are very, very close” to reaching an agreement, which “could even be signed as early as this week.”
The sides were on the verge of finalizing a deal in late February, with a signing ceremony anticipated during Zelensky’s visit to the Oval Office. However, the meeting turned contentious, with Trump accusing Zelensky of being disrespectful, ungrateful for previous US support, hesitant to pursue peace with Russia, and “gambling with World War III.”
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
Find more stories on Business, Economy and Finance in TROIB business
