**Ukraine’s Natural Resources Worth $350 Billion**
Ukraine has a huge amount of natural resources worth around $350 billion in the Russian-occupied territories. This was said by Ukraine’s Economy Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko.
The government in Kyiv is talking to Washington about a deal for these resources in return for support and security guarantees from the US. The value and reserves of these resources are not yet known exactly.
**Ukraine Rejects First Proposal**
Kyiv rejected the White House’s first proposal because it didn’t include any security guarantees. The US had asked for $500 billion worth of minerals, including lithium and titanium, as payback for its support.
The head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said that any agreement must meet Ukraine’s national interests and be good for both sides.
**Ukraine Presents Its Own Proposal**
After rejecting the US proposal, Kyiv presented its own plan to Washington. This proposal is more balanced and doesn’t give away too much of Ukraine’s resources.
One idea being considered is sharing a large part of the resources in occupied territories with the US if they help liberate them from Russia.
**Talks Continue**
Ukraine will start working on an agreement with the US on February 24. This is after President Zelensky criticized the Kremlin for talking points about NATO’s role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The US special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, visited Kyiv as talks between Washington and Moscow started without Ukraine’s involvement.
**Russia Loses Many Soldiers**
Ukraine’s air defense shot down 138 drones while 119 decoy drones were lost. This is on top of 1,180 casualties Russian forces suffered in the past day.
Military analysts think that this number may only be 45% to 65% of Russia’s total casualties.