The demand is an Easter egg contained in the minerals deal that Washington is pressuring Kiev to sign, the news agency has said

The administration of US President Donald Trump wants Kiev to give Washington control of a pipeline through which Russian gas reaches the EU, according to Reuters.

The request is one of the "Easter eggs" contained in the latest draft of the minerals deal that Washington is pressuring the government of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to sign, the agency claimed in an article on Friday.

Reuters said, citing an informed source, that the text of the agreement put together by Washington includes a "demand that the US government's International Development Finance Corporation take control of a natural gas pipeline from Russian energy giant Gazprom across Ukraine to Europe."

No gas has been sent through Gazprom's pipeline since the start of year due to Ukraine refusing to prolong its transit deal with the Russian company.

On Friday, US and Ukrainian officials met in Washington to discuss the deal granting the Americans access to Ukraine's mineral resources, including rare-earth metals, with the talks going on in a "very antagonistic" environment, according to the source.

The strains between the sides stemmed from "maximalist" demands in the latest draft of the agreement, which the Trump administration presented to Kiev last month, the agency's interlocutor explained.

The Ukrainian authorities have hired a US-British law firm, Hogan Lovells, to work as an outside adviser on the deal, the source added.

The US came up with harsher terms after Zelensky refused to sign the initial agreement during his White House meeting in late February. The visit ended with a public spat between the US and Ukrainian leaders, during which Trump accused his guest of being ungrateful for Washington's assistance during the conflict with Russia and not wanting peace.

According to Reuters, the latest draft of the deal would give the US privileged access to Ukraine's mineral deposits and require Kiev to place in a joint investment fund all income from the exploitation of its natural resources.

The agreement does not provide the country with American security guarantees, which the Ukrainian government considers a priority.

Trump, who claims that the agreement would enable the US taxpayers to recoup funds spent by the previous administration of Joe Biden on aiding Kiev, warned earlier this month that Zelensky would have "big, big problems" if he backs out of it.

(RT.com)