Ukraine is interested in signing agreement on mineral resources, but after it is finalized, - Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is interested in signing an agreement with the United States on the use of Ukrainian natural resources. However, it needs to be finalized.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform.
"There is nothing fundamentally new in this agreement, in this direction, or in the very desire to conclude such an agreement - similar agreements existed at one time or another. But the key question is not what Ukraine can give, but what it can get... We are really interested in signing an agreement with the United States. I also told President Trump about this: Ukraine wants to sign an agreement. But when we got down to the details, it turned out that it does not currently contain security guarantees. And this is a fundamentally important aspect that should at least be outlined in the memorandum," the head of state explained.
Zelenskyy noted that some details in the document may change over time, but the fundamental things must be clearly defined.
For example, if the document refers to security guarantees, it is worth considering them in the context of NATO or alternative mechanisms. Security guarantees are not only military assistance, but also economic and political commitments, he added.
"As for our army: if Ukraine is not currently a NATO member, we must build our own security system by analogy with the Alliance. And this should be not just a concept, but concrete steps. This requires funding, weapons and investments," the President explained.
At the same time, the Head of State noted, Ukraine welcomes investments from the United States, but the key issue is not just to receive resources, but to create investments.
"Ukraine is not just a country of raw materials, and this should be clearly stated in the document," he concluded.
Earlier, President Zelenskyy said that the agreement with the United States on minerals would be signed at the ministerial level when ready and subject to guarantees. Currently, this document is not ready to protect Ukraine's interests.
Earlier, the Washington Post wrote that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference that he would not sign an agreement on Ukrainian rare earth metals because it does not contain security guarantees for our country.
