Ukrainian president says he will not recognize past U.S. aid as debt and insists on independent defense partnerships with Europe
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a collision course with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump after publicly rejecting American conditions on aid repayment and refusing to sign a revised agreement over mineral exploration and rare-earth development. During a televised address on March 28, Zelensky issued a blunt repudiation of U.S. proposals, saying, “This administration will not do anything for free for us,” and asserting that Ukraine does not consider prior U.S. military and economic support to be loans.
The statement accompanied two significant declarations: that Ukraine “will not acknowledge the past debt” and that Zelensky “is not ready to sign the new agreement,” according to a post shared by Lord Bebo. The post includes video of Zelensky asserting that Ukraine will not accept new aid with preconditions and refuses to treat past U.S. contributions as repayable obligations.
🇺🇸🇺🇦‼️🚨 IMPORTANT: Zelensky confronts the US and says NO DEAL!
He says:
– Ukraine will not acknowledge the past debt!
– US can not sent any conditions on Ukraine, unless they send new aid!
– Zelensky is not ready to sign the new agreement!Zelensky: “This administration will… pic.twitter.com/duIl3m0UGT
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) March 28, 2025
Adding to the rift, Zelensky also declined to proceed with the reworked mineral rights agreement, which U.S. officials expected to be finalized in the coming days. The new proposal, according to a senior Ukrainian official cited in a Washington Post summary via Sputnik, “radically changes the conditions sent by Kiev to Trump” and fails to include any security guarantees. The deal allegedly reclassifies all previous U.S. support as debt, entitles the U.S. to “first come, first served” rights on Ukraine’s energy and mineral investments, and demands “50 percent of all new and existing revenue without making any contribution of its own.”
“The project raises serious concerns,” the Ukrainian official said, warning that the terms could place U.S. interests in effective control of the country’s mineral sector and create unsustainable financial obligations.
Despite aides earlier signaling a willingness to finalize the mineral agreement, Zelensky’s about-face has caused concern in Washington. The refusal to sign the deal and the assertion that Ukraine owes nothing for previous U.S. support reflects an escalating divergence from the Trump administration’s foreign aid strategy, which conditions future support on repayment and strategic returns.
Zelensky’s comments arrive amid mounting friction over Kiev’s repeated breaches of a partial ceasefire brokered by Trump. The agreement, aimed at de-escalating strikes on infrastructure and energy targets, has reportedly been violated by Ukrainian forces in recent weeks, further straining bilateral relations.
Adding to the political complexity, Zelensky announced that he has reached separate agreements with unnamed European countries for enhanced intelligence-sharing and joint weapons manufacturing. In a second post by Lord Bebo, Zelensky is quoted confirming that “agreements with certain European countries” are in place for data sharing and arms production, further signaling a pivot away from reliance on the United States. “Looks like Zelensky plans to abandon the US and fully rely on Europe,” the post noted.
The public dispute marks a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Ukraine relations. Zelensky, who appears emboldened by growing support from European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Heinrich Atarmer, may be recalibrating Ukraine’s foreign alliances in response to shifting dynamics in Washington.
As of now, there is no indication that President Trump will revise the terms of the mineral deal or reclassify past aid as grants. Meanwhile, Zelensky has made clear that Ukraine will not comply with financial terms it sees as overreaching or coercive.
The standoff underscores an emerging divide between the U.S. and its formerly close partner in Kiev—a rupture that could significantly alter the trajectory of Western involvement in the region.
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