A leaked document reportedly outlines President Trump’s demand for a $500 billion “payback” from Ukraine in any negotiated peace deal to end the war with Russia.
According to the Telegraph, which has viewed the confidential document, that price includes some level of control over Ukraine’s ports, infrastructure, oil, gas, and critical minerals.
The draft contract, dated February 7, 2025, proposes a U.S.-Ukraine joint investment fund to ensure reconstruction benefits exclude hostile parties. With it, Ukraine would cede 50% of resource extraction revenues and new license values to the U.S.
It is unclear if there have been any counteroffers or further negotiations since the 7th. But news of the proposal is reportedly causing “panic” among Ukrainian officials and in Europe.
“The terms of the contract that landed at Volodymyr Zelensky’s office a week ago amount to the US economic colonization of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity,” the Telegraph claims.
“It implies a burden of reparations that cannot possibly be achieved. The document has caused consternation and panic in Kyiv.”
Panic in Kyiv as Donald Trump asks for Ukraine to pay back the money we gave them.
pic.twitter.com/bGXhDKTHu7
— Gain of Fauci (@DschlopesIsBack) February 17, 2025
Yes, Any Peace Deal Should Involve Ukraine Paying Back The United States
The entire premise of the Telegraph article is that officials in Ukraine are galled that a peace deal would involve them having to pay back the United States for sending billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars to their defense.
The seemingly limitless flow of money to Ukraine has come at a time when the American people are dealing with unsustainable debt and spending, record inflation, a very sketchy job market, and no real discernible national interest in the matter.
“Trump’s demands would amount to a higher share of Ukrainian GDP than reparations imposed on Germany at the Versailles Treaty, later whittled down at the London Conference in 1921, and by the Dawes Plan in 1924,” they write.
In an interview with Fox News, the president was undeterred in expressing his desire to claw back some of the money sent freely to Ukraine.
“They (Ukraine) have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earths, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things,” he said before warning of the repercussions if they don’t accept the peace deal.
“They may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday,” he added. “But I want this money back.”
President Donald Trump recently told the press that he wants U.S. money back from the $350 billion that was sent to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/0x5ZoNaTG1
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 14, 2025
Won’t Be Easy Getting That Money Back
While President Trump is at least making an effort to get the money back from Ukraine with this proposed peace deal, it certainly won’t be easy.
Especially when even Zelensky seems to have no idea where it all went.
“When I hear – both in the past and even now – from the U.S., that America has provided Ukraine with hundreds of billions, as the president of a nation at war, I can tell you – we’ve received more than $75 billion,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press.
“We’re talking about tangible things because this aid didn’t come as cash but rather as weapons, which amounted to about $70 billion.”
Holy shlit. Zelensky claims Ukraine only received around $75 billion of the $177 billion in aid that was sent from the United States. pic.twitter.com/mbdbtljvV1
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 2, 2025
“But when it’s said that Ukraine received $200 billion to support the army during the war – that’s not true,” Zelensky added. “I don’t know where all that money went.”
Any peace deal should probably include an immediate audit of the nation’s expenses since the war with Russia began.
