Trump administration intensifies pressure on Ukraine to surrender mineral wealth control, as new draft agreement reveals shift from direct ownership demands to financial control, according to documents obtained by Ekonomichna Pravda on 22 February.
The proposed deal comes amid a crisis in US military support for Ukraine, with Trump suspending substantial portions of aid in January and conditioning its resumption on Ukrainian acceptance of US control over strategic resources. Of the $175 billion authorized by Congress since Russia’s invasion, significant portions now hang in the balance.
Strikingly, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN that the US is demanding far more from Ukraine in mineral resources than it has spent on the country’s defense since 2022 – approximately $500 billion in resources compared to $98.5 billion in aid.
“It is a strange offer to try and take from a country that is a victim of war, more than it cost to pay for its defence,” the source told CNN, highlighting why President Zelenskyy remains unwilling to accept the deal in its current form.
“The agreement is not yet ready to be signed,” a Ukrainian source told Sky News this morning, highlighting that current drafts “contain only unilateral commitments by Ukraine” – the latest sign of resistance to what many see as economic strongarming by the US
The path to this moment reveals an escalating pattern of pressure. After Ukraine rejected Trump’s initial demand for 50% ownership of its rare earth minerals, the US has now proposed a more complex but equally controlling arrangement: a reconstruction fund with 100% US financial interest, requiring Ukraine to contribute half of its resource revenues.
What the minerals deal contains, according to Ukrainian media outlet Ekonomichna Pravda
Ekonomichna Pravda’s examination of the draft agreement reveals specific details of how this control would work:
- Ukraine must share 50% of all mineral and oil-gas revenues after expenses
- The fund would specifically target infrastructure development, including extraction facilities, processing plants, and ports
- For territories currently under Russian occupation, revenue sharing could exceed 50% upon liberation
- All future US non-credit financial assistance would increase Ukraine’s required contributions
- The agreement continues until reaching a total sum yet to be determined by both governments
Trump’s strategy has become increasingly aggressive. His administration reportedly threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to vital Starlink satellite internet if it doesn’t agree to terms. At CPAC, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz boldly declared that “Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal,” while Trump himself dismissed the Ukrainian president on Fox radio, saying he “has no cards.”
While the fund would reinvest in Ukrainian infrastructure and aim to restore pre-war GDP levels, it would give America complete financial control over these investments.
Adding to the pressure, Ukraine was notably excluded from recent US-Russia talks in Riyadh, while US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called pre-war borders “unrealistic” – moves widely seen as efforts to weaken Ukraine’s negotiating position.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Economy will lead the development of detailed implementation plans, though as the source emphasized to Sky News, “Today, the drafts do not reflect a partnership,” underlining the fundamental imbalance in a deal that could determine Ukraine’s economic independence for generations to come.
