February 24, 2025 - Ukraine has rejected a U.S. request to establish a $500 billion fund tied to a deal granting Washington a stake in rare earth mining, Bloomberg reported, citing a Ukrainian official on Feb. 23.

The fund was intended as a mechanism to compensate the U.S. for aid provided to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

However, Kyiv argues that the actual support received totals just over $90 billion — nearly five times less than the amount claimed by Washington.

Another reason for Kyiv’s refusal, according to a source cited in the report, was the lack of U.S. guarantees for continued military and financial assistance.

On Feb. 19, President Donald Trump claimed the U.S. had spent $350 billion on aid to Ukraine — $200 billion more than Europe — and argued that while “Europe’s money will be guaranteed to be returned,” the U.S. “will receive nothing in return.”

However, The Economist, citing the German-based Kiel Institute’s latest report published on Feb. 14, reported that European contributions — both from individual governments and European institutions — now exceed U.S. assistance.