The US Treasury Department is developing a detailed agreement on access to Ukraine’s mineral resources without involving Kiev and skipping the memorandum stage.
A Ukrainian lawmaker, Oleksiy Goncharenko, who was designated by Russia as a terrorist and extremist, made the claim on Monday.
In the wake of talks on March 11, the US and Ukraine agreed to sign a comprehensive agreement on the development of Ukraine’s mineral resources.
This is according to an official communique published on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s official website.
“Now, a full agreement will be signed. It is being drafted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The document will be about 40 pages long.
“The Ukrainian side has not yet seen the document and is not involved in its development,’’ Goncharenko said on Telegram.
Goncharenko added that the original plan was to first sign a memorandum on rare earth metals, which would lay the foundation for a full agreement with clear terms and funding distribution.
Recall that on February 28, US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington to finalise the minerals deal.
However, the discussions fell apart following a disagreement in the Oval Office.
Trump’s senior staff requested the Ukrainian delegation to exit the White House and canceled a planned joint press conference.
