EU proposes "mutually beneficial" resource deal with Ukraine

The European Union has offered Ukraine a deal regarding "critical materials," announced EU Commissioner for Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné.

"21 out of 30 critical materials needed by Europe can be provided by Ukraine within the framework of a mutually beneficial partnership," Séjourné said in a statement to AFP.

The proposal was presented to Ukrainian officials during his visit to Kyiv. Séjourné emphasized that Europe would never require a deal that would disadvantage any party involved.

This position was supported by European Council President António Costa in an interview with Ukrainian media: "In the last three years, the European Union has been a major donor in supporting Ukraine, and we do this for Ukraine, for the Ukrainians, and also for European security. We are not taking anything back in terms of natural resources from Ukraine."

In February, rhetoric between the US and Ukraine became tense following President Donald Trump’s demand for reimbursement of the aid provided to Kyiv, which the Republicans valued at $500 billion.

After Ukraine rejected the first version of a resource agreement, Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Initially, he mentioned rare earth metals, but by the end of the month, he declared: "We are asking for rare earth metals and oil — everything we can get."

Ukrainian authorities have disputed Trump's calculations regarding the amount of money spent, emphasizing that the funds were provided as grants, not loans, meaning there is no expectation of repayment.

"I’m not signing something that would require ten generations of Ukrainians to pay," Zelenskyy stated.

Recently, Trump indicated that the sides are close to finalizing the deal. "Almost all key details have been agreed. We intend to finalize them as soon as possible and move toward signing the document," Ukrainian officials confirmed.

By Tamilla Hasanova