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Kiev calls US president's demand to return $500 billion reparations payment

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said that Trump's demand for Ukraine to return the funds was not serious and that Ukraine had entirely different figures

MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump's request for Ukraine to return $500 billion for continued support resembles a demand for reparations, Ukrainian politician and former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) Dmitry Razumkov stated.

"When we discuss the payment of $500 billion, a sum which does not actually exist, it appears more like compensation payments," Razumkov said on the Ukrainian YouTube channel News Factory.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said that Trump's demand for Ukraine to return the funds was not serious and that Ukraine had entirely different figures.

Trump earlier stated in an interview with the Fox News TV channel that "Ukraine may be Russian someday" and did not rule out the possibility that he would want Ukraine to return all the money spent by the US government on its support. The US leader clarified that he would prefer to receive the equivalent of $500 billion in Ukrainian rare-earth metals.

Commenting on Trump's statement, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted that a significant part of Ukraine wants to reunite with Russia and has already done so, referring to the fact that the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions were willing to join Russia - the decision expressed by people in a referendum.

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