Minerals deal does not address issue of Ukraine’s NATO membership, Zelenskyy says
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine and the United States are working on a draft agreement concerning natural resources, which does not address the issue of Ukraine’s NATO membership, stated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with journalists, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
He emphasized that the deal is primarily being worked on by American and Ukrainian lawyers.
The head of state reacted to Trump's recent statement that Ukraine allegedly wants to sign an agreement with the United States in order to join NATO.
"As for this agreement and the NATO question, there is no mention of NATO in this agreement, and there never was," Zelenskyy stressed.
The minerals deal is still in its early stages of discussion, as the US recently presented Ukraine with a full version of the document. Initially, the parties had planned to sign a framework agreement and only then move forward to a full agreement.
What Trump said
Earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed that he had heard from journalists about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's intention to sign a minerals deal with the US for NATO membership.
According to Trump, such a matter was never discussed. He also added that Ukraine will not be accepted into NATO.
It is important to note that the administration of President Donald Trump opposes Ukraine's membership in NATO.
