Zelensky balks at mineral deal if its repayment for Biden-era US aid: A grant is not a debt

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday balked at signing any mineral-rights deal with the US that would be considered repayment for previous aid given under the Biden administration.President Trump has been demanding such a pact, but Ukraine has been pushing for new security guarantees or fresh military funding in exchange for its minerals.“I do not recognize [that Kyiv owes the US] even $100 billion,” Zelensky told reporters at a press conference a day before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country.“We agreed with Biden that this was a grant.A grant is not a debt,” Zelensky said.Trump has been inaccurately repeating in recent weeks that the US has given Ukraine an estimated $350 billion to defend itself against Russia — and that a deal granting Washington rights to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of critical and rare-earth minerals in Ukraine should serve as backpay for aid offered to Kyiv before he took office.In reality, Congress approved roughly $183 billion for Ukraine under the Biden administration — more than $65 billion of which was spent in the United States purchasing new weapons for American stockpiles after Washington donated used US weapons to Kyiv, according to the Pentagon.Still, despite Zelensky’s tough words Sunday, there have been strong indications that Ukraine is nearing some kind of agreement on a mineral-rights arrangement with the US.Trump’s special envoy to the Ukraine, Gen.

Keith Kellogg, met Zelensky and his cabinet during an intensive three-day diplomatic trip to Kyiv last week, and part of their talks centered on a mineral deal.As Kellogg left Ukraine on Friday, Zelensky’s office told him the Ukrainian president had been convinced to negotiate a mineral-rights deal with the US — “given your important mission and our deepest respect to you and desire that you return to President Trump with good news,” The Post can exclusively reveal.In response, Kellogg said t...