Agreement with US on minerals does not contradict Ukraine’s obligations for EU accession - Shmyhal
Draft U.S. minerals deal does not hinder Ukraine’s EU accession or contradict its European integration commitments
This was stated by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal during a telethon on Wednesday, April 30, Censor.NET reports.
Shmyhal noted that the format of cooperation provided for in the agreement does not contradict Ukraine's European integration plans and commitments.
"This agreement does not overlap, cannot harm, and does not contradict Ukraine's accession to the European Union and our European integration commitments. This is also an important point that I would like to emphasize in our conversation, because it is important to comply with our European integration obligations under the Association Agreement and our candidate status," the Prime Minister said.
As a reminder, on April 30, Shmyhal expressed hope that the subsoil agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the United States would be signed within the next day. The last details are currently being finalized in the draft agreement.
What preceded it?
Earlier, after a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the Ukraine-U.S. agreement on minerals would not include U.S. aid provided to Ukraine before it was signed.
On April 25, US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine should "immediately sign" an agreement on rare earth metals with the US.
On April 17, Ukraine and the United States signed a memorandum as a first step toward reaching an agreement to expand economic cooperation, including the development of mineral resources in Ukraine, which has proven to be unattainable.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and the United States could sign a memorandum of intent to conclude a minerals agreement online as early as April 17.
In turn, US President Donald Trump said that the minerals agreement with Ukraine would be signed next Thursday (April 24).
