Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine and the US had reached an agreement on US financial aid to Ukraine before signing a bilateral cooperation agreement on rare earths.
Accordingly, this financial amount will not be counted as a debt obligation. The information was released after a meeting between Mr. Shmyhal and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
During the negotiation process, the two sides discussed deeply on the content of the agreement and achieved many positive progress. The Ukrainian Prime Minister emphasized that the country has clearly identified the "red boundaries", requiring the agreement to conform to Ukraine's commitments to Europe, not violating the Constitution and National Law, and must be approved by the National Assembly of Ukraine.
In addition, Mr. Shmyhal also confirmed that Ukraine has received $50 billion in profits from frozen Russian assets. In parallel with the confiscation of assets, Kiev also proposed applying a special tax on imported goods from Russia, in order to mobilize more financial resources for the country's reconstruction fund.
Rare-ground mineral cooperation between the US and Ukraine was launched on March 11, when the two sides agreed to negotiate a comprehensive agreement allowing the US to access Ukraine's mineral resources.
In April, the Ukrainian technical team visited Washington for consultations and to promote negotiations. Ukraine said the process has made many clear strides.
On April 17, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Julyia Svyrydenko announced that the two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding to confirm the intention to complete and sign a cooperation agreement on rare earth minerals in the coming time.
