'This is not a debt': Ukraine responds to Bloomberg’s insider report on deal with US
Photo: Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Negotiations with the US regarding minerals do not involve specific amounts or debts. Instead, they focus on creating a tool for joint investment and mutual benefit, according to Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka during a national telethon live broadcast.
“As part of the agreement, we are not discussing any specific figures,” Kachka noted. “I believe many people are expressing their own assessments regarding various elements of the agreement, and media reports are often based on those. I can’t call them false, nor can I confirm or deny them. But these are rather elements of the broader discussion surrounding the agreement.”
He emphasized that the negotiation process itself does not include any figures about the amount of profit the US aims to receive.
“At this stage, the focus is on developing a tool that would ensure continued support from the US — investments in Ukraine, profits from those investments, both for Ukraine and the US. And we would be glad if the returns from such investments exceed the aid the US provides,” the deputy minister explained.
According to him, there are no specific discussions about who owes what to whom.
“The formula is quite simple: to earn returns from investing in Ukraine. This is not about payouts or debt, it’s about faith in our future. And if it brings profit to the American people, that’s a good thing, because it will also benefit the Ukrainian people,” he concluded.
US-Ukraine agreement
Not long ago, the US proposed creating a special $500 billion fund for Ukraine, which would be linked in particular to the extraction of rare earth metals.
As part of the agreement, Washington reportedly insisted on gaining economic and managerial leverage, and revenues from the sale of resources were allegedly to be directed toward offsetting previously provided aid.
Former US President Donald Trump had earlier claimed that the US spent $350 billion to support Ukraine. However, according to Ukrainian figures, this amount significantly exceeds the actual total.
In contrast, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the total volume of US support stands at $100 billion, and this funding cannot be considered Ukraine’s debt.
It is also worth noting that earlier today, Bloomberg reported that the US had allegedly softened its demands on Ukraine.
The outlet stated that the administration of US President Donald Trump had revised its estimate of the aid provided to Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, reducing it from $300 billion to approximately $100 billion.
