As the US pressures Kyiv to sign a minerals deal, the EU is pushing to boost its own access
An ilmenite open pit mine
As Washington continues to pile pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a draft deal with the United States involving over $500 billion of materials such as aluminum, gallium and ***anium, the European Union is hoping to scale up its access to Ukraine's minerals.
Stéphane Séjourné, the EU commissioner for prosperity and industrial strategy, committed to "accelerating" the bloc's "mutually beneficial partnership" with Ukraine regarding the supply of minerals during a visit to Kyiv on Monday, a European Commission spokesperson told CNN.
The EU is hoping to expand upon a 2021 memorandum of understanding with Ukraine that centered on "mutual benefits," the spokesperson said.
Ukraine could successfully supply 21 out of the 30 minerals needed by the EU under this scaled-up arrangement, Séjourné said Monday, the spokesperson confirmed.
The bloc tried to downplay any potential conflict with the US, with the spokesperson stressing that the move is "about cooperation with Ukraine, not competition with the US." This comes as a senior Ukrainian official told CNN Monday that negotiations regarding a draft proposal with Washington were now reaching the "final stages."
Remember: Last year, the Biden administration had prepared a similar draft memorandum of understanding to the European Union. That included commitments from Washington to providing investment opportunities in Ukraine's mining projects.
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has zeroed in on securing access to what he has described as Ukraine's "great rare earths," saying access to these minerals would serve as a payment for any US military support going forward.