Zelenskyy names condition for signing deal on rare earths with US
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is interested in signing a minerals agreement with the United States. However, the document does not currently contain any security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an online press conference from Abu Dhabi.
“We are really interested in signing an agreement with the United States. I also told President Trump about this: Ukraine wants to sign the agreement. But when we got down to the details, it turned out that it does not currently contain security guarantees. And this is a fundamentally important aspect that should at least be outlined in the memorandum,” the president said.
He added that some of the details of the agreement may change over time, but the fundamental things must be defined immediately. If the agreement deals with security guarantees, then they should be considered in the context of NATO or alternative mechanisms. The President noted that security guarantees include not only military assistance but also economic and political commitments.
“Regarding our army: if Ukraine is not a NATO member, we must build our own security system by analogy with the Alliance. And this should be not just a concept, but concrete steps. This requires funding, weapons, and investments,” Zelenskyy explained.
Agreement on rare earths
The United States is discussing a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine. It was recently presented by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who visited Kyiv last week.
On February 14, the Ukrainian delegation to the Munich Security Conference told RBC-Ukraine that a revised draft memorandum had been handed over to the United States. The same day, the media reported that the United States wanted Ukraine to transfer the rights to 50% of the rare earths. At the same time, the president refused to sign the agreement.
On the sidelines of the Munich conference, Zelenskyy said that the agreement was not yet ready and that discussions with the American side were ongoing.
