EU's critical materials offer to Ukraine counters Trump's demands
According to Politico, the European Union offered Ukraine its own agreement on "critical materials" on Monday. Donald Trump is discussing the joint extraction of Ukrainian resources and is pressuring Volodymyr Zelensky to sign an agreement regarding significant natural resources.
European Commissioner for Welfare and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné presented a competitive proposal to Ukrainian officials on Monday in Kyiv. The European Commission is visiting to mark the third anniversary of the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
The added value Europe offers is that we will never demand a deal that's not mutually beneficial - assesses Séjourné, quoted by Politico.
The EU wants cooperation with Ukraine
The French politician stated that Ukraine has the capacity to provide 21 out of the 30 critical materials essential for Europe, highlighting the potential for a mutually beneficial partnership.
The EU's actions are a response to Donald Trump's demands, who is seeking compensation of 500 billion USD from Kyiv for the support provided by the USA during the war with Russia.
"While Zelenskyy wants a deal, he has so far refused to sign two draft minerals agreements sent by the U.S. (...) Ukrainians are baffled by Trump's estimate of a $500 billion debt, while Zelenskyy described the new version of the proposed debt as credit with 100 per cent interest rate where he has to return two dollars for every dollar the US spent on aid to Ukraine," notes Politico.
The President of Ukraine himself has stated: "I am not signing something that will be paid by 10 generations of Ukrainians".
The great resource map
- Eyes may open when one considers several tens of titanium deposits, accounting for 30% of the known global deposits, or the accumulation of manganese ores in the eastern part of the country. Europe is short on titanium, which is used in nuclear submarines. Graphite is used in metallurgy, electrical engineering, and battery production. Additionally, there are 52 iron ore deposits, each containing over 907 million tonnes of resources - explained Prof. Piestrzyński.
Read also:
