US and Ukraine should conclude agreement on critical minerals this year - Senator Graham
Photo: US Senator Lindsey Graham (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
In 2024, the United States and Ukraine are to sign an agreement on critical minerals, specifically lithium, according to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
"I hope in 2024 an invitation will be issued to Ukraine to join NATO over the arc of time under certain conditions. In 2024, I hope we will secure a strategic agreement between the United States and Ukraine regarding critical minerals," Graham said.
He noted that Ukraine has about a trillion dollars worth of minerals needed for the 21st century.
"If you believe in electric vehicles, you need batteries. Well, Ukraine is blessed with a lot of lithium. So let's have an agreement between the United States, Western allies, and Ukraine to mine that lithium, creating processing centers in Ukraine, which will create jobs for the Ukrainian people and have a strategic relationship between the United States and Ukraine," added Graham.
According to him, such minerals "help the West, they don't fall in Putin's hands."
"To the American people, Ukraine can be one hell of an ally to us. They have things available to them under their soil that would benefit our economy. economy, let's do an agreement this year locking down this relationship for the future," noted the Senator.
Agreements between Ukraine and the United States
On June 13, the United States and Ukraine signed a bilateral agreement on security guarantees for 10 years. American and Ukrainian leaders Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the agreement on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
The agreement includes Ukraine's commitment to undertake a series of institutional reforms on the path to NATO membership.
