New Delhi, April 13 -- The United States has reportedly demanded control over a key natural gas pipeline in Ukraine, escalating tensions over an increasingly contentious minerals-for-weapons agreement. described the move as part of a "colonial shakedown".

The pipeline in question, built during the Soviet era, it remains a critical piece of energy infrastructure connecting Russian gas supplies to Europe.

According to Reuters, the latest draft of the US proposal demands that the International Development Finance Corporation, a US government agency, take control of the pipeline.

The discussions, held on Friday, have reportedly grown tense, Reuters reported. The newest version of the US draft deal is "much more maximalist" than earlier ver...