America Holds Ukraine Hostage with Unprecedented Reparation Demands
Donald Trump is effectively holding a gun to the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, demanding massive reparations while laying claim to half of Ukraine’s oil, gas, and hydrocarbon resources—along with most of its metals and critical infrastructure.
The Telegraph has obtained the latest version of Trump’s so-called “minerals deal,” a document that experts say is without precedent in modern diplomacy.
“It’s an expropriation agreement,” said Alan Riley, an energy law expert at the Atlantic Council. “There are no guarantees, no defense clauses—America puts up nothing. The U.S. can walk away at any time, but Ukraine is locked in. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
The deal leaves little doubt that Trump’s primary goal is to turn Ukraine into a resource colony for American oil, gas, and mining interests. It aligns with parallel U.S.-Russia talks about a broad energy partnership—including plans to resume large-scale Russian gas exports to Europe. Under these terms, U.S. companies and Trump-linked financiers would gain significant control over the industry.
The revived gas trade would initially flow through Ukraine’s infrastructure before shifting to the Baltic region as the damaged Nord Stream pipelines are brought back online.
A Colonial-Style Agreement
The latest draft of the agreement states that the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund will control Ukraine’s “critical minerals or other minerals, oil, natural gas (including liquefied natural gas), fuels or other hydrocarbons and other extractable materials.”
This includes all critical materials listed in the U.S. Energy Act—rare earth elements, lithium, titanium, cobalt, aluminum, and zinc—giving America near-total control over Ukraine’s natural wealth. The U.S. will also have the power to veto Ukraine’s resource sales to other nations, potentially blocking deals with China and even limiting exports to Europe.
“It’s incompatible with EU membership, which may be the whole point,” said Professor Riley. “It’s possible that the real objective is to force Zelensky to reject it.”
Despite its sweeping demands, the agreement provides no financial investment from the U.S. Instead, it frames past American military aid as Ukraine’s compensation. Nor does it offer any security guarantees in return.
A 19th-Century-Style Treaty
The document includes a few token acknowledgments of Ukraine’s sovereignty, such as stating that “the American people desire to invest alongside the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign, and secure Ukraine.” It also references Ukraine’s 1994 decision to relinquish its nuclear arsenal under the Budapest Memorandum.
However, these gestures do little to mask the reality: the terms of this agreement are even harsher than earlier drafts, which international legal experts already condemned as predatory and neo-colonial. The deal bears striking similarities to the unequal treaties imposed on China by European powers in the 19th century.
This is an extraordinarily harsh way to treat a democratic ally fighting for survival against Russian aggression—especially as Ukraine continues to defend the West’s eastern front against Moscow’s imperial ambitions.
Trump’s team argues that U.S. commercial interests in Ukraine would deter Russian aggression, but this rings hollow given Trump’s simultaneous negotiations with Moscow over a lucrative energy deal.
A Diplomatic Disaster for the West
Trump’s negotiator, Steve Witkoff, has reportedly echoed Kremlin talking points, endorsing Russia’s sham referenda in occupied Ukrainian territories. His stance essentially concedes Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia—regions where Russian control remains highly contested.
Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence suggests that Russia’s war effort is faltering. General Jeff Kruse, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate Intelligence Committee this week that Moscow is struggling to sustain its military campaign and may lose momentum entirely by year’s end—if the West stays firm.
Yet, Trump appears determined to hand Putin a lifeline. The former president has reportedly agreed to help Russia regain access to global markets for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and restore Russia’s ability to conduct international transactions.
A key Russian demand is reactivating its farm bank, Rosselkhozbank, on the SWIFT payment system—an outcome that would effectively weaken Western sanctions.
Europe’s Sanctions Are Collapsing
Trump’s actions are accelerating the unraveling of Europe’s sanctions regime. Hungary and Slovakia have both signaled they will not support renewing EU sanctions, meaning key restrictions on Russia will automatically expire in July. This would also unlock €200 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets currently held in European accounts.
“If even one EU member state refuses to extend the asset freeze, the funds will be released immediately,” warned Anton Moiseienko and Yuliya Ziskina of the Royal United Services Institute. “The EU would find itself handing over €200 billion to the regime that launched Europe’s biggest war since World War II—an Afghanistan-style failure for European foreign policy.”
This is the grim trajectory of Europe’s indecisiveness. The continent may end up shouldering the entire financial burden of rebuilding Ukraine—while Trump seizes control of the country’s economic future and Putin walks away with billions in recovered assets.
Trump and Putin’s Joint Venture
Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently testified before the Senate, arguing that Trump understands the risks of allowing Putin to achieve his maximalist war aims.
Yet, everything Trump has done so far suggests otherwise. His actions indicate that the Trump-Putin relationship is less about confrontation and more about mutual economic and political gain—a seamless and profitable partnership at Ukraine’s expense.
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