Luke Harding, a correspondent for the British newspaper The Guardian in Kiev, has obtained a draft of a memorandum of intent that Ukraine and the United States (US) are expected to sign next week, which relates to a minerals agreement, the media outlet reports today.
The memorandum envisages the establishment of a joint investment fund between the two countries.
The draft acknowledges the "significant financial and material support" that Washington has provided to Kiev since the start of the all-out Russian invasion in 2022, according to the Guardian.
However, the memorandum does not clearly indicate whether profits from future investments will be used to "pay back" the US for previous military assistance provided during the administration of former US President Joseph Biden.
The Guardian reports that US President Donald Trump claims that Ukraine "owes" the US at least $300 billion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as reported by the Guardian, points out that the weapons deliveries were a grant approved by the US Congress, not a loan, and therefore there is no obligation to repay the funds.
He adds that Ukraine is ready to pay for future military aid from the Trump administration.
Trump said yesterday that an agreement on the exploitation of Ukraine's strategic mineral resources would be signed "next Thursday."
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Ukraine said yesterday that Kiev and Washington had signed a memorandum as an initial step towards reaching an agreement on the development of mineral resources in Ukraine, an agreement promoted by Trump, Reuters reports.
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