Agreement with US takes into account agreements with EU on subsoil - Shmyhal
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that the agreement with the United States in the field of subsoil takes into account previous agreements between Ukraine and the European Union on cooperation in the field of critical resources.
He said this during the United News telethon, Censor.NET reports.
According to Shmyhal, during the negotiations with the American side, the Ukrainian authorities also consulted with European partners. He recalled that in 2021 Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation with the EU in the field of critical raw materials. He also noted that the United States recognizes the priority of European integration for Ukraine.
"This agreement takes into account the interests of our European integration, as well as our cooperation with international financial organizations... The legal text of the agreement states that "in developing an agreement on the establishment of an investment fund, the participants, that is, the governments of the United States and Ukraine, should avoid conflicts with Ukraine's obligations within the framework of its accession to the European Union," Shmyhal said.
The Prime Minister also added that the agreements on fossil fuels with the EU were taken into account when formulating the agreement with the United States.
Agreement on fossil fuels with the United States
As a reminder, Trump has said he wants to sign a $500 billion deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on access to rare earth resources and natural gas in Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees in any potential peace settlement.
President Zelenskyy said that the agreement with the US 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 interest.
Later, Trump said that Ukraine had derailed the rare earth metals deal. The agreement was needed so that the United States could recover the money spent on supporting Ukraine.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has handed over to Ukraine an "improved" draft of the minerals agreement that "complies with Ukrainian law."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if the United States wants to see specific figures in the minerals agreement, then according to Ukrainian law, ratification by the Verkhovna Rada will be required.
On February 25, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on the terms of the minerals agreement and were ready to sign the document.
