Bloomberg: US eases repayment demands in minerals deal with Ukraine

The United States has softened its position on Ukraine's repayment of aid in ongoing talks over access to mineral resources.

Source: Bloomberg with reference to its sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sources familiar with the matter noted that the United States appears to have eased its demands for Ukraine to repay aid during negotiations over an economic deal between the two nations.

Following technical-level talks in Washington last week, the administration of US President Donald Trump reportedly reduced its estimate of the aid provided to Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion — from US$300 billion to around US$100 billion. This revised figure aligns more closely with Ukraine’s own estimate of just over US$90 billion.

The Ukrainian government has declined to comment prior to the signing of any agreement. Neither the White House nor the US Treasury Department has responded to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the US Treasury said that the technical talks had been very productive. He added that the parties hoped to conclude the talks soon.

One of the sources noted that the talks between the technical teams on 11-12 April were constructive. However, he added that the US still views the deal as an opportunity to recover costs from Ukraine through profits generated by an appropriate fund, the size of which remains unspecified in the latest draft.

The sources stressed that the Trump administration was reluctant to commit to future investments in the fund and is postponing the issue for further discussion. Instead, Washington insists that US spending on the war should be considered a contribution to the fund.

They noted that Ukrainian negotiators are finding it difficult to dissuade their American counterparts from this approach, which underpins some of the toughest US demands.

The sources also noted the Trump administration is reluctant to commit to future investment in the fund and prefers to consider its wartime support as a contribution instead. This point remains a major sticking issue for Ukrainian negotiators.

Lawyers from both sides are expected to continue working remotely this week to move the agreement forward. A Ukrainian source added that Kyiv has been tasked with presenting concrete project proposals at the next round of talks.

Background:

• Earlier, European Pravda reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump had returned to the version of the minerals agreement that required Ukraine to reimburse all the assistance that the United States provided after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
• On 11 April, US and Ukrainian officials met to discuss the US proposal to gain access to Ukraine's minerals. The media reported an "antagonistic" atmosphere at the meeting.
• During these technical consultations in Washington, the Ukrainian delegation handed over proposals prepared by Kyiv to the US side.
• On 15 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that last week's talks between the Ukrainian and American teams on a minerals agreement had gone well. 

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