Kellogg on subsoil agreement: No progress until document is signed
The Minerals Agreement between Ukraine and the United States provides for a partnership that ‘may become the basis of the security architecture for Ukraine in the future’, and without its signing ‘there will be no progress’.
According to Censor.NET, citing "Voice of America", this was stated by US Special Representative for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg.
"The reason why Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House was to sign a document that said we were moving forward. It has not been signed. I mean, and my personal belief is that there will be no progress until the document is signed. Period," Kellogg said.
According to him, Ukraine had the opportunity to sign the agreement during Kellogg's visit to Ukraine, as well as last week when the Ukrainian delegation was in the US.
"I think the protocol is to sign the document, and once you sign it, it means you are serious and ready to move forward. We've seen too many failed attempts in this process," Kellogg stressed.
He emphasised that "the critical minerals agreement is, in a sense, a mechanism by which the American taxpayer can begin to recover from the costly financial support of this war".
"More broadly, however, this important minerals deal proposal also offers a partnership agreement between the US and Ukraine that could form the basis of a security architecture for Ukraine in the future. If the U.S. has direct economic interests in Ukraine, then the U.S. has direct invested interests to protect its economic interests as well, which essentially serves as a de facto guarantee, a security guarantee for Ukraine," Kellogg said.
Minerals agreement with the US
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 interests.
Later, Trump said that Ukraine had undermined 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 given to Ukraine an "improved" draft of the minerals agreement that "complies with Ukrainian law."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if the US wants to see specific numbers in the minerals agreement, then according to Ukrainian law, ratification by the Verkhovna Rada will be required.
On 25 February, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on the terms of a deal on minerals, and Kyiv was ready to sign the document.
On February 26, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the signing of a subsoil agreement with the United States.
The agreement was supposed to be signed on February 28 at the White House, but due to a dispute between Trump and Zelenskyy, it did not happen.
