Zelenskyy also said he would not bow to pressure from Washington to hand over $500bn worth of Ukraine’s minerals, adding: “I’m not signing something that 10 generations of Ukrainians are going to pay later.” Around $350bn worth of Ukraine’s critical resources are in areas captured by Russia, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, told reporters.
Zelenskyy also revealed the Trump administration was asking Ukraine to pay back $2 for every $1 of military aid the US provides Ukraine going forward – an interest rate of 100%.
The US is pressuring Kyiv to ditch its draft UN resolution condemning Russia’s war in the country, ahead of a vote on Monday to mark the conflict’s third anniversary, AP reports, citing an unnamed US official and European diplomat.
EU leaders will also meet on 6 March for a special summit “to take decisions” on Ukraine and European defence, Costa said, as pressure mounts on European nations to boost defence spending.
Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov supported comments made by Trump about Zelenskyy – such as calling the Ukrainian leader a dictator – as “understandable” after Zelenskyy made “inappropriate remarks” about Trump.
