EU did not propose new agreement on critical materials with Ukraine - European Commission
The European Commission explained that during the visit of European commissioners to Kyiv on February 24, no new mutually beneficial agreement on Ukrainian critical materials was proposed.
This was announced by the European Commission spokesperson Toma Renier during a briefing on February 25, Censor.NET reports citingthe EP.
According to him, European Commissioner Stefan Sejourne simply reaffirmed his commitment to the implementation of previous agreements.
"There is no proposal," Rainier emphasized, explaining that the EU and Ukraine began cooperation in this area back in 2021, when a memorandum of understanding on critical materials was signed.
The European Commission spokesperson clarified that the partnership between Ukraine and the EU is not only about supplying resources to the European Union, but also about developing local added value and capacity in Ukraine, which should be beneficial for both parties.
"As with all EU partnerships on critical raw materials that we have, this cooperation is not only about securing supply chains for the EU, but also about promoting local value creation and capacity building in partner countries, ensuring mutual benefits," he said.
He also emphasized that the EU's cooperation with Ukraine does not imply competition with other partners, including the United States.
"As you can see, we are talking about cooperation with Ukraine, not about any competition with the United States," Rainier added.
As a reminder, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may take place in the near future. Trump expects to sign an agreement on rare earth minerals with Zelenskyy.
