Zelensky was eager to accept aid from Joe Biden's administration to fund his war against Vladimir Putin, but doesn't feel it's his responsibility to pay the money back, according to the New York Post.

"I do not recognize that Kyiv owes the US even $100 billion," Zelensky recently told reporters. "We agreed with Biden that this was a grant. A grant is not a debt."

According to the New York Post, Donald Trump has been "inaccurately repeating in recent weeks that the US has given Ukraine an estimated $350 billion to defend itself against Russia — and that a deal granting Washington rights to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of critical and rare-earth minerals in Ukraine should serve as backpay for aid offered to Kyiv before he took office."

Zelensky says "no"

Even if Trump is inflating the amount of aid America sent to Ukraine and the number is "only" $183 billion, as the New York Post is claiming, Zelensky is clear he's not interested in paying even that amount back.

Not only is Zelensky refusing Trump's proposal to give America $500 billion in profits from Ukraine's rare earth minerals, Zelensky has said he's not even prepared to give up 20% of that figure.

However, despite Zelensky's strong stance on the topic, there's hope that some progress will be made in the relationship between the United States and Ukraine.

Zelensky has offered to resign from the presidency in Ukraine if it meant peace or NATO membership.

Additionally, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, recently met with Zelensky for an intensive three-day diplomatic trip to Kyiv. Many of their talks centered around this mineral deal.

The mineral deal

As Kellogg was leaving Ukraine on February 21, he received word from Zelensky's office that the Ukrainian president was ready to negotiate a mineral rights deal with America.

Zelensky's office said they wanted to share the willingness to negotiate with Kellogg before he left because of Kellogg's "important mission and our deepest respect to you and desire that you return to President Trump with good news."

Kellogg told Zelensky's team that leaders of the two countries could "change everything for the better," according to sources.

However, just because Zelensky is prepared to negotiate does not mean he doesn't still want the best deal for Ukraine:

"I know that the United States of America believes that this agreement is part of the security guarantees, and I would really like to [agree], but it should be written there that these are security guarantees and not just for you and me to say that we think [that’s the case]," Zelensky recently told the New York Post.

Zelensky added, "If Putin wants to, nothing will stop him from repeated aggression.

"This is not out of respect or disrespect for President Trump — but he is not going to be here forever. And we need peace for many, many years," Zelensky added.