US lowers Ukraine aid estimate in mineral deals talk

16/4/2025 14:28

The United States has reduced its cost estimate for the assistance provided to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022 to about $100 billion from $300 billion.



U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking a bilateral minerals deal as part of a peace push to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump also sees it as a way to recover billions of dollars spent on military assistance to Kyiv, although the aid was not a loan.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that talks with the U.S. regarding a minerals deal were "positive", and that more meetings were expected.



Last month, the Trump administration proposed a new, more expansive minerals deal with Ukraine, which gives Ukraine no future security guarantees but requires it to place in a joint investment fund all income from the exploitation of natural resources by state and private enterprises across Ukrainian territory.