The administration of US President Donald Trump has offered Ukraine an agreement that obliges the country to pay $120 billion for all aid provided by Washington since 2022. The move, related to a new project on joint development of minerals, has provoked a sharp reaction in Kyiv, where the document has already been dubbed "robbery." According to the Financial Times, the Ukrainian authorities refuse to sign the agreement in its current form, considering the terms unacceptable and threatening to national interests.

According to details published by the European Pravda, the deal not only provides for the return of the full amount of American aid, but also a tough mechanism for pressuring Ukraine. In particular, if Kyiv does not begin repayment soon, the debt will increase by 4% annually. This approach effectively turns financial aid into a loan with increasing interest, which the Ukrainian government compares to "putting it on a meter." This condition has become a key stumbling block, increasing tensions in relations between Washington and Kiev.

The draft agreement proposed by the US covers access to Ukrainian natural resources, including oil, gas and minerals, as well as control over infrastructure, from railways to ports. According to the Financial Times, the American side insists that all profits from these assets be sent to the US budget until the investments are fully compensated. Moreover, Washington demands priority rights to purchase resources and the creation of a special fund managed by the US International Finance Corporation, to which Ukraine must transfer half of the income from production and infrastructure projects. Aid provided since the beginning of the conflict in 2022 is counted as an American contribution to this fund, which effectively nullifies its status as gratuitous support.

Kyiv emphasizes that such conditions threaten the country's economic independence. One of the high-ranking officials, cited by the Financial Times, said that Ukraine does not intend to agree to a deal that "looks like outright extortion." International legal consultants have already been brought in to analyze the document and prepare an alternative proposal. At the same time, Washington insists that the agreement is part of a strategy to ensure the return of American taxpayers' investments in supporting Ukraine.