US President Donald Trump has reiterated his demand that Ukraine compensate Washington for the hundreds of billions of dollars in aid it has received by granting the US access to its rare-earth minerals. Trump’s comments, made during an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, underscore his push to secure a return on investment for American taxpayers. The president’s remarks come amid ongoing debates about the sustainability of US financial and military assistance to Kiev, as well as growing concerns over Ukraine’s economic viability.

During the interview, Trump stated that the US is “in for more than $300 billion, probably 350” in various forms of assistance to Ukraine. He criticized Washington’s approach, suggesting that it would be “stupid” to continue providing aid without receiving anything in return.

“I want to have our money secured because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars,” Trump said. “They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things.”

He further elaborated that he has communicated to Ukrainian officials his expectation of receiving the equivalent of $500 billion in rare-earth minerals. According to Trump, Ukrainian leaders have “essentially agreed” to the proposal.

“So at least we don’t feel stupid. Otherwise, we’re stupid. I said to them, we have to get something,” he emphasized.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently acknowledged that his government is open to discussing agreements related to Kiev’s deposits of critical minerals such as lithium, titanium, and other heavy metals. However, he stipulated that........

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