The United States has reportedly demanded control over a key Ukrainian gas pipeline that carries Russian gas into Europe, in what some have described as a “colonial shakedown”.

Advertisment

According to reports, the request was made during tense negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials last Friday. Talks were focused on a minerals-for-weapons deal, with US President Donald Trump seeking access to Ukraine’s natural resources as a form of repayment for military aid previously supplied by the Biden administration.

Pipeline at centre of row between US and Ukraine

One of the major sticking points is a gas pipeline that stretches around 750 miles from Sudzha in western Russia to Uzhhorod, near Ukraine’s border with the EU and Slovakia. Built during the Soviet era, it remains a critical piece of infrastructure and a key energy supply route to Europe.

Advertisment

Also read: Trump’s Ukraine ‘peace’ plan isn’t about peace. It’s a PR stunt

The most recent US proposal reportedly includes a clause for the US International Development Finance Corporation to take control of the pipeline. This demand has caused friction, with negotiations growing increasingly bitter. A source close to the talks told Reuters that the latest draft is more aggressive than the version seen in February, which sought $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s oil, gas, and rare metals.

Ukraine pushes back

Advertisment

Ukraine halted gas flows through the pipeline on 1 January after its five-year agreement with Russia’s state gas firm Gazprom came to an end. Both countries had previously earned hundreds of millions in transit fees, even during the first years of the war.

Also read: 'Peak of not giving f**k anymore': What ‘mad king’ Trump did as global economy tanked - Golf, galas and $1M dinners

Volodymyr Landa from the Centre for Economic Strategy in Kyiv said Washington was after “all they can get”. He described the US proposals as “colonial-type” demands and predicted they would not be accepted by Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he was open to a deal but only on fair terms. “I am just defending what belongs to Ukraine,” he said. “It should be beneficial for both the United States and Ukraine. This is the right thing to do,” he added.

Zelensky proposed a 50-50 revenue split and said any agreement must be equal for both sides. The US Treasury confirmed that “technical” discussions were still ongoing.

Trump not willing to offer new military aid or security guarantees

Reports suggest that Trump is unwilling to offer new military aid or security guarantees but still wants access to Ukrainian resources. Last week, he accused Zelensky of trying to “back out of an agreement” and warned that Ukraine’s president would face “big problems” if he didn’t comply.

US officials clarify comments

Meanwhile, the US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, faced backlash after suggesting a partition of Ukraine similar to post-war Berlin. Speaking to The Times, he appeared to suggest dividing the country, with Russian troops staying in occupied areas and UK and French forces deployed in Kyiv.

Kellogg later clarified on X that he was referring to a “post-cease fire resiliency force in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty”.

On Friday, Trump’s other envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff’s reported solution to the war involved giving Russia control over four Ukrainian provinces, including areas still held by Kyiv and home to about a million Ukrainians.

(With inputs from agencies)