Seoul Gazette - Trump says US wants return on Ukraine aid money

His comments came as Washington and Kyiv negotiate a mineral resources deal Trump wants as compensation for the wartime aid his predecessor Joe Biden gave Ukraine.

It was the latest twist in a whirlwind first month since he took office, during which he has upended US foreign policy by making diplomatic overtures towards the Kremlin over the heads of Ukraine and Europe.

Trump told delegates at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington: "I'm trying to get the money back, or secured.

"I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. We're asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get.

"We're going to get our money back because it's just not fair. And we will see, but I think we're pretty close to a deal, and we better be close because that has been a horrible situation."

Hours earlier, a source told AFP that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "not ready" to sign such a deal, despite growing US pressure.

- War of words -

Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg, who met Zelensky earlier this week, said the Ukrainian president understood signing a deal with the US was "critical"

But the Ukrainian source told AFP that Kyiv needed assurances first.

"In the form in which the draft is now, the president is not ready to accept, we are still trying to make changes and add constructiveness," the source close to the matter said.

Ukraine wants any agreement signed with the US to include security guarantees as it battles Russia's nearly three-year invasion.

The negotiations between the two countries come amid a deepening war of words between Trump and Zelensky that has raised alarm in Kyiv and Europe.

On Wednesday, Trump branded his Ukrainian counterpart a "dictator" and called for him to "move fast" to end the war, a day after Russian and US officials held talks in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv.

The US has proposed a United Nations resolution on the Ukraine conflict that omitted any mention of Kyiv's territory occupied by Russia, diplomatic sources told AFP.

- 'What kind of partnership is this?' -

Trump has asked for "$500 billion worth" of rare earth minerals to make up for aid given to Kyiv -- a price tag Ukraine has balked at and which is much higher than published US aid figures.

"There are no American obligations in the agreement regarding guarantees or investments, everything about them is very vague, and they want to extract $500 billion from us," the Ukrainian source told AFP of the proposed deal.

"What kind of partnership is this? And why do we have to give $500 billion, there is no answer," the source said, adding that Ukraine had proposed amendments to the draft.

The United States has given Ukraine more than $60 billion in military aid since Russia's invasion, according to official figures -- the largest such contribution among Kyiv's allies but substantially lower than Trump's figures.

The Kiel Institute, a German economic research body, said that from 2022 until the end of 2024, the United States gave a total of 114.2 billion euros ($119.8 billion) in financial, humanitarian and military aid.

- UK support 'ironclad' -

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP Friday that despite the tensions, talks on a possible agreement were "ongoing". Kellogg praised Zelensky as "courageous" after his visit to Kyiv earlier this week.

The row comes at a critical moment in the conflict. Ukraine marks the third anniversary of Russia's invasion on Monday and Kyiv's forces are slowly ceding ground on the frontline.

Moscow's defence ministry earlier on Saturday claimed the capture of Novolyubivka in the eastern Lugansk region, which is now largely under Russian control.

In a call with Zelensky on Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged the "UK's ironclad support for Ukraine".

Zelensky, in response, praised the United Kingdom for showing "leadership" on the war with Russia.

In London, thousands of people marched in support of Ukraine on Saturday, and polls in the UK suggest strong support for Kyiv.

W.Sim--SG