European Commission Spokesperson Denies Media Reports on EU Offering Ukraine Its Own Mineral Resources Deal

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.

He said this at a press conference on 25 February.

‘There is no offer. Since 2021, the EU has had a partnership with Ukraine on critical raw materials, formalised through our memorandum of understanding. So this was signed four years ago. As with all EU partnerships on critical raw materials, the aim is to secure supply chains for the EU, as well as to promote local value creation and capacity building in partner countries, which provides mutual benefits,’ the spokesman said.

Earlier, AFP and Politico reported that the EU had offered Ukraine its own deal on minerals. The media outlets cited European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy Sejourne, who allegedly submitted a competitive proposal to Ukrainian officials during his visit to Kyiv on 24 February.

He added that it was about cooperation with Ukraine, not about any competition with the United States.

In his turn, Rainier said that during his visit to Kyiv yesterday, European Commissioner Sejourne met with his Ukrainian counterparts and reaffirmed his commitment to implementing this memorandum of understanding and accelerating work to strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership.

‘Indeed, we have a memorandum of understanding, we have reaffirmed our commitment to it, and we certainly look forward to its implementation,’ said the European Commission spokesperson.

Rainier also stressed that the EU supports Ukraine and will continue to do so as Ukraine fights for the security of the entire continent.

When asked about the preparation of an agreement on subsoil between Ukraine and the United States, Rainier said that ‘it is not for us to comment on a possible agreement between Ukraine and the United States’.