February 24th marked three years since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since 2022, according to the Kiel Institute, the United States has given about $119.7 billion in aid to Ukraine, far off from the $350 billion President Donald Trump has been stating in recent interviews and conferences.
In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump stated that the US has given $350 billion in aid to Ukraine, claiming it was more than what Europe has given. But after being looked into by ABC, both statements seem untrue. Europe has contributed about $138.7 billion in aid to Ukraine since 2022, according to the Kiel Institute.
As the Russia-Ukraine war seems to be coming to an end, the Trump administration is asking Ukraine for their money back, although the money given by the US during the Biden administration was in the form of a grant, not a loan. In exchange for the funding, the Trump administration disputed with Volodymyr Zelenskyy; they wanted Ukraine to grant the US control of areas with high value minerals, but Zelenskyy rejected the offer.
Members of the Trump administration met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on February 18th to speak about the conclusion of the three-year Russia-Ukraine war. Russia offered the Trump administration rare Earth minerals in two parts of Russia-dominated Ukraine, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. These minerals are seen as beneficial to the Trump administration and were offered as a way to pay back the United States for all the aid it has provided to Ukraine. This was also previously disputed with Ukraine President Zelenskyy. If the US were to agree to Russia’s proposal, Russia would gain permanent access to these parts of Ukraine, because Russia would be in business with the US in these sections.
President Trump is meeting Ukraine President Zelenskyy on Friday, February 28, to speak about the US’s possible acquisition of rare minerals in Ukraine. When asked about if the US will be providing security to Ukraine while the US is acquiring these minerals Trump stated, “I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much…But we’re going to make sure everything goes well” (NPR).
It will be interesting to see what Ukraine and the US agree to when Trump and Zelenskyy meet on Friday. If the US and Ukraine make a deal, then the Russia-Ukraine war would most likely be over.