US lowers Ukraine aid estimate in minerals deal talks, Bloomberg News reports

The United States has reduced its cost estimate for the assistance provided to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022 to about $100 billion from $300 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking a bilateral minerals deal as part of a peace push to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump also sees it as a way to recover billions of dollars spent on military assistance to Kyiv, although the aid was not a loan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that talks with the U.S. regarding a minerals deal were "positive", and that more meetings were expected.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

Last month, the Trump administration proposed a new, more expansive minerals deal with Ukraine, which gives Ukraine no future security guarantees but requires it to place in a joint investment fund all income from the exploitation of natural resources by state and private enterprises across Ukrainian territory.