Agreement with US considers previous agreements on minerals with EU, Ukrainian PM assures

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the agreement on minerals with the United States takes into account agreements reached earlier with the European Union in this area. 

Shmyhal said on the air during the national joint 24/7 newscast that during the talks with the United States, the Ukrainian side also spoke with the European side. 

He recalled that Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of critical raw minerals with the European Union in 2021 and stressed that the United States recognises 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 organisations… 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 as part of its accession to the European Union’," Shmyhal said.

Denys Shmyhal reiterated that the memorandum on minerals signed with the EU was taken into account in the agreements with the United States. 

The Prime Minister said that the government would consider the text of the agreement on minerals that Ukraine plans to sign with the United States at a meeting on 26 February and authorise ministers to sign it.

Denys Shmyhal said that the agreement on minerals with the US is directly tied to security guarantees.