Ukraine's minerals deal position ready for talks with US, FM says
Ukraine has already prepared its position on the minerals deal and its vision of the text for talks with the U.S., Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Ukrinform on April 8.
Sybiha’s statement comes days before a Ukrainian delegation, consisting of representatives from the economy, foreign affairs, justice, and finance ministries, will travel to Washington later this week to discuss the U.S.-proposed version of the deal with the American side.
According to the minister, the agreement should be mutually beneficial, meet the interests of both countries without putting at risk Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“This is one of the principled positions for the Ukrainian side,” he added.
The latest version of the deal reportedly grants the U.S. unprecedented control over Ukraine’s natural resources through a joint investment.
One of the glaring issues is that the latest draft of the deal conflicts with a critical raw materials partnership signed between Brussels and Kyiv in 2021, potentially harming Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU in the future.
The Ukrainian delegation will be accompanied by a law firm that will support the negotiations in the U.S., Sybiha said.
Earlier this week, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that the new U.S. proposal still includes plans for a fund or joint investment between the two nations.
The long-running negotiation, which has already strained ties between Kyiv and Washington, follows an attempt to finalize a framework agreement earlier this year.
Those plans were disrupted after a heated Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Critics later slammed the leaked draft for potentially undermining Ukraine’s control over its natural resources, including not just rare-earth minerals but also gas and oil.
The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell