Trump suggests Ukraine should repay the US with resources like rare-earth minerals and oil.
Former President Donald Trump has stated that Ukraine should compensate the United States for the financial aid it has received during its conflict with Russia. This statement escalates the ongoing disagreement between Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky regarding aid and negotiations with Russia.
“Europe has given $100 billion. The United States has given $350 billion because we had a stupid, incompetent president and administration,” Trump told attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland.
“I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. So, we’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get,” he added. “So, we’re getting our money back. We’re going to get our money back because it’s not fair. It’s just not fair.”
Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, the US Congress has allocated $183 billion to Ukraine, which includes over $66 billion in security assistance, according to figures from the Pentagon and Ukraine Oversight, the group responsible for reporting to Congress.
Trump has repeatedly emphasized the need for both Ukraine and its European allies to provide a detailed account of how the funds have been used. He has also accused Zelensky of benefiting from American money during the Biden administration.
Zelensky has acknowledged that Ukraine would have a “low chance” of success without US assistance. However, he has declined to approve an agreement that would have given US companies 50% ownership of Ukraine’s mineral resources, suggesting that any such deal must also include security guarantees for Kiev. Trump has stated that such a minerals agreement could bring up to $500 billion to the US.
Trump has recently intensified his criticism of Zelensky, calling him “a dictator without elections” and accusing him of missing an opportunity to negotiate peace with Russia. He also stated that Ukraine was not in a position to object to being excluded from US-Russian talks that took place in Riyadh.
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