Zelensky stated that Ukraine "should not recognize U.S. grants as debts."

Ukraine should not consider the grants provided by the United States to support the country as debts.

This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference during the forum “Ukraine. Year 2025.” He mentioned.

According to him, he “negotiated with U.S. President Joseph Biden and the U.S. Congress” regarding the aid packages from the United States.

“We must not recognize grants as debts. Whether we like it or not. I negotiated with Biden and with the U.S. Congress. I am grateful to Congress. There was a presence of both parties and support,” said the president.

He also stated that Ukraine is prepared for a new agreement with the U.S., where assistance is provided with the condition of repayment with profit. Zelensky emphasized that, although this may be inconvenient, aid is necessary, and if the conditions change, Ukraine will agree.

At the same time, he declared that he would not accept an agreement that entails repaying U.S. assistance at a ratio of 1:2, which means it would be treated as a 100% loan.

“Everything is fine, I just want a dialogue with President Trump… I will not sign anything that will be paid back by ten generations of Ukrainians,” stressed Zelensky.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Ukraine had allegedly already agreed to grant the U.S. access to rare earth minerals worth $500 billion in exchange for military aid.

However, Zelensky later reported that the agreement was not signed due to “legal issues,” and that Ukraine primarily needs security guarantees.

Previously, ZMINA reported that on the third anniversary of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, 2025, an international summit will take place in Kyiv with the participation of leaders from nearly 40 countries and organizations.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the upcoming event at a press conference during the forum “Ukraine. Year 2025.”