Technical consultations between Ukraine and the USA regarding the mineral resources agreement are scheduled for April 11 in Washington. This was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Minister of Justice Olha Stefanishyna.
This is reported by Finway
“Tomorrow in Washington, technical consultations will take place between the teams of the ministries of justice and economy. I am unable to disclose any details as the meeting will only occur tomorrow. I will be able to comment tomorrow,” – Stefanishyna noted in Brussels on April 10.
She also confirmed that the agreement with the USA regarding minerals should not contradict Ukraine’s obligations to the EU.
“I can indeed confirm that nothing in the agreement can be discussed with Ukraine in a way that undermines Ukraine’s existing obligations, including financial ones – within the Ukraine facility, macro-financial assistance, cooperation with the IMF. This cannot be the subject of any negotiation format,” – she added.
At the beginning of the week, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, reported on sending a delegation to Washington to discuss the details of the new draft agreement.
“We aim to agree on the selection of projects, the legislative framework, and mechanisms for long-term investment,” – she stated.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, clarified that the agreement on minerals is undergoing verification for compliance with Ukrainian legislation, as
“this agreement must meet the interests of both countries, and we have our own legislation.”
On March 30, US President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to withdraw from the mineral resources agreement and warned that if this happens, he would face “big problems.” According to Bloomberg, Ukraine is proposing amendments to the new draft agreement, particularly regarding increasing US investments.
On March 24, Trump noted that he expects the agreement with Ukraine to be signed soon, and Zelensky confirmed that the USA is preparing a new draft agreement.
The Financial Times and Bloomberg, which reviewed the new draft agreement, reported that the USA insists on concluding an agreement that would cover all natural resources, including oil, gas, and Ukraine’s key energy assets. However, in this agreement, the USA does not offer Ukraine any security guarantees.
It is worth noting that in March, Ukraine and the USA agreed to conclude an agreement on the development of Ukraine’s critical mineral resources, but attempts to sign the agreement failed after a dispute between Trump and Zelensky in the White House.