Zelenskyy blocks rare metals agreement with US, saying it is not ‘ready’ yet

MOSCOW

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that he has stopped his government from signing an agreement with the US on rare metals, citing concerns over national interests.

Speaking at a news conference in Munich, Germany, Zelenskyy emphasized that the proposed agreement did not align with the interests of the Ukrainian people.

In an interview with US media on Monday, Trump did not rule out that he would want to “return” all the money spent by the American government in this country, specifically, an equivalent in the form of Ukrainian rare earth metals worth $500 billion.

“As president, I have a responsibility to ensure the quality of this document. That is why I did not allow ministers to sign the agreement because, in my opinion, it is not yet ready,” he stated.

Zelenskyy stressed that the document must guarantee investments in Ukraine and be legally structured to clearly define the distribution of profits and the connection between rare metal extraction and security guarantees to his nation.

“It’s not in our interests today. Not in the interests of sovereign Ukraine. I’m just a president; I’m a manager, and after my term, there will be another manager, and its nation’s resources, they are not just mine, (they are) of our people,” he stressed.

Zelenskyy reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Ukraine’s natural resources remain available for future generations.

He invited American and European companies to participate in mining operations, promising exclusive rights to those who had provided significant support to Ukraine.

“But it is not mine to take or give; it’s a very serious thing,” he repeated, adding that he does not want to sign a “paper,” but rather a “document.”

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