«I'm not going to recognise the debt»: Zelenskyy on the agreement with the US
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- Alisa Melik-Adamian
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17:23, 23 February, 2025
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he is not going to recognise the agreement under which Ukraine will owe the United States $500 billion.
He said this during a press conference on Sunday, 23 February.
Zelenskyy noted that the US conditions under the subsoil deal were in the nature of a debt that Ukraine had to pay to the US.
«I know that we had 100 (billion dollars from the US, — note) and I am not going to recognise 500, no matter what anyone says,» Zelenskyy said.
He also added that he did not want to recognise the $100 billion debt to the United States, as he did not consider financial assistance from the United States to be a debt.
As a reminder, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to resign in exchange for security guarantees.
Earlier it was reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump had sent Ukraine an updated version of the mining agreement, which took into account some of Kyiv's comments.
Earlier, Donald Trump said that he would like to conclude a deal under which Ukraine would supply the US with rare earth minerals needed for electronics production in exchange for US aid.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised Donald Trump's proposal to provide Ukraine with military assistance in exchange for its minerals.
Subsequently, US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine had agreed to provide Washington with access to rare earth minerals worth $500 billion.
It should be noted, however, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign an agreement to grant the US access to rare earth minerals. The White House called this decision «short-sighted».
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the US might consider investing in mining on the Black Sea shelf, which is currently under Russian occupation.
However, Donald Trump later stated that he intended to renew the agreement with Ukraine on rare earth minerals.
US National Security Advisor Mike Volz called on Kyiv «to tone it down» and sign the minerals agreement, which President Zelenskyy had previously rejected.
The new draft US minerals agreement provides for the distribution of revenues from resources in the liberated territories of Ukraine.