France, like the United States, is trying to secure access to Ukraine's vast reserves of natural resources for military purposes, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said today, quoted by DPA, BTA reports.
He told France Info radio that negotiations with Ukraine on the extraction of rare earth elements for the French defense industry have been underway since October.
“Our defense industry needs a number of very critical raw materials for our weapons system - and not just for next year, but for the next 30 or 40 years,“ the French Armed Forces Minister specified.
Lecornu said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a number of proposals not only to the United States but also to France.
During his last visit to Paris, Zelensky presented the topic of Ukraine's natural resources as part of his long-term vision for the country.
US President Donald Trump said yesterday that during his visit to the White House tomorrow, the Ukrainian president will sign a “very big deal“ on Ukraine's rare earth elements.
The European Union launched a strategic partnership on raw materials with Kiev in 2021 - before the start of the Russian invasion of the country. However, this partnership does not entail any obligations for Kiev or preferential treatment for the EU.
Details of the deal that Trump and Zelensky are to sign have not been disclosed and it is not clear whether Washington is offering specific security guarantees in exchange for Ukraine's untapped mineral resources, DPA notes.