US to ‘get back’ money spent on aid to Kiev – Trump — RT World News

The US will “get back” the money it has spent on military and financial assistance to Kiev through an upcoming mineral deal with Ukraine, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday ahead of his first cabinet meeting. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky will travel to Washington on Friday to sign the agreement, Trump added.

Trump had initially demanded the equivalent of up to $500 billion worth of natural resources as compensation for the aid provided to Kiev. Washington proposed a deal that would grant the US sweeping rights to Ukraine’s reserves of natural resources as a form of compensation.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Trump said the Ukrainian leader “is going to be coming on Friday” and “that is now confirmed.” The two sides are expected to sign what the US president described as a “very big agreement” that will cover Ukraine’s reserves of rare-earth metals, among other things.

Trump reiterated his claim that the US has spent $350 billion on various forms of assistance to Kiev, adding that “we’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get our money back and we’re going to get a lot of money in the future.” American taxpayers “should not be footing the bill” for assisting Ukraine, he added.

The US president did not reveal the parameters of the future agreement.

Earlier on Wednesday, Zelensky confirmed to journalists that Ukraine and the US had agreed on a “framework” deal on the nation’s minerals. He insisted that the document does not include any mention of Ukrainian debt to the US “either amounting to $350 billion or $100 billion.” According to Zelensky, the agreement also says nothing about Kiev being obliged to compensate US expenditures on aiding Ukraine in a ratio of “2 to 1.”