Zelenskyy Clarifies U.S. Natural Resources Deal: “We Are Not Debtors”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a briefing on February 26, addressing the newly agreed framework deal with the U.S. on natural resources and his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The most important thing for me was that we are not debtors,” Zelenskyy said, dismissing speculation that the agreement saddles Ukraine with a massive financial burden.

Ukrainian President stated that he would not go a dime back on this deal: “The issue is not that we’re not grateful. We are grateful, but it was a grant. If next they tell us that they will give us money on credit – this will be a new reality,” he said.

“There is no $500 billion debt in the agreement, nor $350 billion, nor $100 billion. That would be unfair to us. If we are talking about a fund, that is also covered in this framework agreement. I see our partners in this,” he added.

The current framework agreement between Kyiv and Washington does not require parliamentary ratification.

However, a separate, more detailed agreement on a joint mineral resources fund will need to go through the approval process.

“It does not contain all the security guarantees Ukraine wanted, but I wanted at least one sentence mentioning guarantees—and it is there, in clause 10, I believe,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

The Ukrainian President also acknowledged that the agreement’s success could depend on his upcoming conversation with Trump.

“This deal could be a major success, or it could pass quietly. The big success depends on the meeting with Trump,” he stated.

Earlier, Trump called it “a very big deal,” and suggested its value could reach $1 trillion, though he provided no specific breakdown.

“It could be a trillion-dollar deal. It could be whatever, but it’s rare earths and other things,” he added.