Zelenskyy explained why Ukraine did not sign an agreement with the United States on minerals
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, said that the agreement with the United States on minerals was not signed due to the lack of readiness of the document and its inconsistency with Ukrainian interests. That’s what he’s about reported during a conversation with journalists at the Munich Security Conference.
According to the head of state, such agreements are concluded at the level of ministries, but he did not allow signing the document in its current form. Zelensky emphasized that the key conditions should be investments and a clear distribution of profits, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine. Since these points were not included in the agreement, its adoption was postponed.
NBC News reported that the draft agreement was personally presented by the American minister. After reviewing the document, Zelenskyy asked for time for its analysis and consultations.
According to preliminary information, the document provided that the USA would receive rights to 50% of mineral reserves in Ukraine. However, the agreement did not contain any security guarantees for the state, which was the main reason for refusing to sign it.
Earlier it became known that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in Ukraine with a draft of an agreement that provided Washington with access to Ukrainian minerals worth $500 billion in exchange for further assistance to Kyiv. However, the negotiations have not yet ended with the signing of any official agreements.
