Reuters reports that the demand is hidden within a minerals agreement that Washington is pressuring Kiev to sign.
According to Reuters, the Trump administration seeks control of a pipeline that transports Russian gas to the EU.
The agency reported on Friday that this request is one of the “Easter eggs” in the latest draft of a minerals deal that the US is pushing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s government to accept.
Reuters, citing a source, stated that the agreement drafted by Washington includes a “demand that the US government’s International Development Finance Corporation assume control of a natural gas pipeline running from Russia’s Gazprom, across Ukraine, and into Europe.”
Gazprom’s pipeline has been inactive since the beginning of the year because Ukraine refused to extend its transit agreement with the Russian company.
On Friday, US and Ukrainian officials met in Washington to discuss the deal that would grant the US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, including rare-earth metals. According to the source, the talks were “very antagonistic.”
The tensions arose from the “maximalist” demands in the latest draft of the agreement, which the Trump administration presented to Kiev last month, the source explained.
The Ukrainian government has hired a US-British law firm, Hogan Lovells, to advise on the deal, the source added.
The US proposed stricter terms after Zelensky declined to sign the initial agreement during his White House visit in late February. The visit concluded with a public disagreement between the US and Ukrainian leaders, during which Trump accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for US assistance during the conflict with Russia and of not desiring peace.
Reuters reports that the latest draft would give the US preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits and require Kiev to deposit all income from its natural resource exploitation into a joint investment fund.
The agreement does not include American security guarantees, which the Ukrainian government considers a priority.
Trump has claimed the agreement would allow US taxpayers to recoup funds spent by the previous Biden administration on aid to Kiev. Earlier this month, he warned Zelensky that he would face “big, big problems” if he rejected the deal.
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