The United States has eased its stance on aid repayment in the context of minerals deal talks with Ukraine.

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.

Bloomberg noted that after a round of talks in Washington last week, the administration of US President Donald Trump lowered its estimate of the amount of aid the US has provided to Kyiv since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion from US$300 billion to around US$100 billion. This is closer to the Ukrainian estimate of over US$90 billion.

The Ukrainian government has declined to comment on the situation before the agreement is signed. The White House and the US Treasury Department have not 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.

One of the sources noted that lawyers would continue to work remotely this week to complete the project as soon as possible.

One of the tasks for Kyiv for the next online meeting this week is to provide details on specific projects that can be implemented under the agreement, he added.

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. 

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon !