Munich, Germany (AP) – Ukrainian President Voludimir Zelinski says he ordered his ministers not to log in Proposal To give the United States access to Rare ground minerals in Ukraine Because the document was very focused on American interests.
The proposal, which was a major part of Zelinski’s talks with US Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not submit any specific security guarantees in return, according to a current Ukrainian official familiar with the talks.
Zelenskyy’s decision not to sign a deal, at least at the present time, described as “short -sighted” by a senior White House official.
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“I did not allow the ministers to sign a relevant agreement because in my view, it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelinski told Associated Press on Saturday in Munich.
The proposal focused on how to use the United States Rare land minerals As compensation for the support it has already provided to Ukraine by the Biden Administration and as a payment for future aid, Ukrainian officials said two and former, speaking unknown so that they can speak freely.
Ukraine has Wide reserves of critical minerals It is used in the industries of aviation, defense and nuclear. The Trump administration has indicated that it is interested in reaching it to reduce dependence on China, but Zelinski said that any exploitation would need to link security guarantees to Ukraine, which will deter Russian aggression in the future.
“For me, it is extremely important to the relationship between a kind of security guarantees and a kind of investment.”
Zelinski did not have details about the reason for his education from his officials not to sign the document, which was submitted to Ukrainian officials on Wednesday by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bassent on a visit to Kiev.
A former senior official said: “It is a colonial agreement and Zelinski cannot sign it,” said a former senior official.
Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, has explicitly confirmed this offer, but he said in a statement that “President Zellinski is short of looking at the excellent opportunity that the Trump administration made to Ukraine.”
The Trump administration has been fun of sending additional American assistance to Ukraine, and Hughes said the metal deal would allow the American taxpayers to “recover” the money sent to Kiev, while the economy of Ukraine is growing.
Hughes added that the White House believes that “binding economic relations with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of permanent peace.” He added: “The United States recognizes this, and the Russians get to know this, and the Ukrainians must learn about this.”
A senior official said that US officials in discussions with their Ukrainian counterparts in Munich were studying commercially and largely focused on the details of exploration of minerals and how to form a possible partnership to do so with Ukraine.
The potential value of deposits in Ukraine has not been discussed, with a lot of unexplored or near the confrontation line.
It seems that the American proposal did not take into account how to secure deposits if the Russian aggression continues. The official suggested that the United States did not have “ready answers”, on this question and that one of the fast foodstuffs in Munich is how to secure any mineral extraction process in Ukraine, which includes people and infrastructure.
The great Ukrainian official said that any deal should be compatible with the Ukrainian law and acceptable to the Ukrainian people.
“Subsoil belongs to the Ukrainians under the constitution,” said Kseniiia Ornynchak, founder of the National Association for Mining Industry in Ukraine in Ukraine, indicating that a deal will need popular support.
A senior official said that Zelinski and Fase did not discuss the details of the American document during their Friday meeting at the Munich Security Conference. A senior official said that this meeting was “very good” and “fundamental”, where Vans explained that his main goal and Trump is a permanent and permanent peace.
Zelinski Vans told that real peace requires that Ukraine be in a “strong situation” when the negotiations start, and stressed that American negotiators should come to Ukraine, and that the United States, Ukraine and Europe should be at the negotiating table for talks with Russia.
but General Keith Keel, Trump’s private envoy For Ukraine and Russia, all Europeans took out any Ukraine talks, Russia, despite Zelinski’s request.
“You can have Ukrainians, Russians and Americans on the table talking,” Kelog said at an event hosted by a Ukrainian businessman at the Munich Security Conference. He said: “He pressed whether this means that the Europeans will not be included,” I am a realistic school. I think this will not happen. “
The official said that Ukraine is now preparing a “counter -proposal” that will be delivered to the United States in the “near future”.
“I think it is important for the vice president to understand that if we want to sign something, we must understand that he will work,” Zelenskyy told AP.
This means, he said: “He will bring money and security.”
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The authors of the Associated Press Amer Madihani in Washington, DC, and Voludimir Yorchuk and Sousse Blanc in Kiev, Ukraine.
