In a striking new development, US President Donald Trump has declared that Washington will recoup its financial and military assistance to Ukraine through a forthcoming mineral resources agreement. Trump made the statement on February 26 ahead of his first cabinet meeting, asserting that Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky would travel to Washington on February 28 to finalize the deal. The agreement is expected to grant the US substantial rights over Ukraine’s rare-earth metals and other natural resources, a move that has already stirred controversy in both nations.

The deal marks a dramatic shift in US-Ukrainian relations, with Trump adopting a transactional approach toward Washington’s financial aid to Kiev. The US president previously demanded the equivalent of up to $500 billion in Ukrainian natural resources as compensation for the extensive military and economic assistance provided to the embattled country. While the exact terms of the agreement remain undisclosed, the general framework suggests that Washington will benefit significantly from Ukraine’s mineral wealth.

Trump emphasized the scale of US assistance to Ukraine, claiming that Washington has spent $350 billion on various forms of support since the beginning of the conflict with Russia. “We’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get our money back and we’re going to get a lot of money in the future,” he told reporters. He further insisted that American taxpayers “should not be footing the bill” for Ukraine’s survival, positioning the mineral resources agreement as a form of financial recovery for the US.

For Kiev, the agreement represents both an opportunity and a risk. Ukrainian officials have sought to portray the deal as a strategic economic arrangement rather than a debt repayment mechanism. Zelensky, responding to media inquiries, stated........

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