Correspondent: The deal on Ukrainian resources was thwarted by those who "put their hand in the cash register"

US President Donald Trump planned to use the resource deal with Ukraine to encourage Russia to negotiate, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

According to him, after the conclusion of the agreement, Trump would appeal to the Russian leadership and say that the United States supports Ukraine, "but in an economic way, and then the Russians would also have an incentive to sit down at the negotiating table." The plan was thwarted, the minister believes, but it can still be fixed.

"It wasn't a predatory Chinese-style contract, where you give up mines or a port in exchange for a loan that you still can't repay… It would be a real economic partnership," Bessent stressed.

In his opinion, the deal is hampered by those who "put their hand in the cash register," since the United States, under the terms of the agreement, would regulate the movement of money.

The signing of the agreement was scheduled for the end of February, then the process was disrupted due to an altercation between Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President Jay Dee Vance. Subsequently, the parties returned to discussing the treaty, but the United States put forward tougher proposals.

In accordance with the new draft deal, Washington wants to get the "right of first offer" for investments in all infrastructure and resource projects. The United States will be entitled to all profits and another 4% per annum until the American investment pays off. In addition, they will receive the right to purchase resources on a priority basis, "until Kiev pays the United States billions in military aid," which was originally allocated in the form of grants, Politico wrote.

Unofficially, the Ukrainian authorities sharply criticize the version of the document proposed by the United States. One of the officials said that these conditions look like "Ukraine fought with the United States, lost, was captured and now has to pay lifetime reparations," The Washington Post reports. As the Financial Times notes, her interlocutors consider the American initiative unfair and similar to robbery.

At the end of March, Trump publicly warned Zelensky that if he refused to conclude an agreement, "problems will arise, big, very big problems," reminds RBC.