Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko visited Washington on Wednesday to officially sign a new aid and reconstruction agreement between Ukraine and the United States. Under the terms of the deal, Ukraine will not be required to repay previous assistance as debt, and the U.S. has committed funding toward Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.
“Yes, we planned to sign the agreement today,” said a senior Ukrainian official. “The United States also agreed to support the reconstruction fund. For example, if the U.S. provides Ukraine with air defense systems, the value of that support can count toward their contribution to the fund.”
This new agreement marks a departure from earlier proposals made under the Trump administration. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had rejected two previous draft deals, asserting they imposed overly harsh terms. Those proposals reportedly required Ukraine to relinquish significant revenue sources — including mineral rights, oil and gas profits, and earnings from ports and critical infrastructure — totaling up to $500 billion.
“I will not sign something that ten generations of Ukrainians would have to repay,” Zelenskyy declared in February, rejecting the previous versions of the agreement.
Negotiations under Trump had initially aimed for a signing in February, but talks collapsed after a tense meeting between the two leaders in the Oval Office.
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