EU Proposes Alternative to US Critical Minerals Deal for Ukraine

UPD 25/02/2025 19:01: European Commission spokesperson Thomas Rainier denied information spread by a number of media outlets (AFP, Politico) that the EU had offered Ukraine its own deal on mineral resources the day before.

During a visit to Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy  Stephane Sejourne offered Ukrainian officials a mutually beneficial deal on the extraction of critical minerals in Ukraine. Politico reports citing Sejourne's words.  

Ukraine has significant reserves of minerals, including manganese, titanium, graphite and lithium, which have been the subject of complex negotiations between Kyiv and Washington. US President Donald Trump insists that the US should get ‘its money's worth’ for its assistance in defending Ukraine from Russian invasion.  

The European Commissioner said that during his trip to Kyiv, he offered Ukrainian officials an alternative deal.  

‘21 of the 30 critical materials that Europe needs can be provided by Ukraine in a mutually beneficial partnership,’ Sejourne said after the meeting, which took place on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.  

‘The added value that Europe offers is that we will never demand a deal that is not mutually beneficial,’ he added.  

On Monday, Trump said he was ready to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House ‘this week or next week’ to sign an agreement on the use of Ukrainian minerals.  

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said that the Ukrainian and American sides are at the final stage of negotiations on an agreement on Ukrainian resources.  

During a press conference on Sunday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that an agreement with the US on the use of natural resources should include clear security guarantees from the US.

According to The Gaze, on 24 February, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Ukraine would receive a new tranche of €3.5 billion from the EU in March.