The European Commission has refuted information spread by Politico claiming that the European Union had recently proposed its own raw materials agreement to Ukraine.
European Commission spokesperson Thomas Régnier addressed the matter during a press briefing on 25 February. He emphasized that the EU’s cooperation with Ukraine on critical minerals “is not about any sort of competition with the US.“
EU offers Ukraine “win-win” minerals deal as alternative to Trump’s demands
Régnier explained that the EU has maintained a partnership on critical raw materials with Ukraine since 2021, “formalized through our memorandum of understanding.“
According to the spokesperson, this agreement, like all EU critical raw materials partnerships, aims not only at “securing supply chains for the EU but also about fostering local value creation and capacity building in partner countries ensuring mutual benefits.”
EU visit to Kyiv and alleged offer
The College of Commissioners, consisting of 27 officials forming the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, visited Kyiv on 24 February. AFP stated that European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, pitched the proposal to Ukrainian officials during the EU leadership’s visit to the Ukrainian capital
At today’s briding, Régnier stated that during the visit, Séjourné met with Ukrainian counterparts and “reaffirmed our commitment to implement this memorandum of understanding and accelerating the work to strengthen our mutually beneficial partnership,” .
When asked about securing supply chains without competing with the US, Régnier emphasized that discussions “didn’t emerge now in light of potential recent events” but date back four years. He added that the memorandum of understanding aims at “creating synergies between the supply chains on one side and the other” while “creating benefits also for our partners on the ground.”
Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podestà added that it’s “not really for us to comment on a possible deal between Ukraine and US,” noting that the Commission has “seen of course press reporting on this matter.“
She emphasized that the EU’s position on Ukraine “is crystal clear” and that the bloc is “supporting Ukraine and all the process” including commitments “to support Ukraine in the reconstruction phase.”
Ukraine holds huge deposits of critical elements and minerals essential for manufacturing modern technologies, including manganese, titanium, graphite, and lithium. Ukraine also possesses vast coal reserves, as well as oil, gas, and uranium, though that much of this wealth lies in the Russian-occupied territories.
Trump’s deal
After Donald Trump assumed the office of the US President in January, Trump administration intensifieed pressure on Ukraine to surrender mineral wealth control. Recently, draft agreement revealed shift from direct ownership demands to financial control.
As Euromaidan Press previously reported, a source familiar with US-Ukraine negotiations told CNN that Washington is demanding mineral resources from Ukraine worth far more than its defense aid, which was not supposed to be compensated, since 2022 – approximately $500 billion in resources compared to $98.5 billion in assistance.
“It is a strange offer to try and take from a country that is a victim of war, more than it cost to pay for its defence,” the source told CNN.
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