France said on February 27 that it was also seeking access to Ukraine's important mineral deposits and that negotiations had been ongoing for months.
Speaking to France Info television, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that his country is also negotiating with Ukraine with the aim of diversifying its supply of important minerals like the United States.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu
At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr. Lecornu has begun discussions and worked directly with his Ukrainian counterpart as part of an effort to find more countries to supply rare minerals. Mr. Lecornu did not specify exactly what minerals France was looking for, according to the AP.
According to the minister, the country only wants to buy minerals from Ukraine and does not aim to recover the billions of euros in aid that Paris has provided to Kyiv. "We do not aim to recover the money we have given. But our defense industry will need a certain amount of raw materials, which are extremely important in our weapons systems for the next 30 or 40 years," Mr. Lecornu stressed.
Mr Lecornu said discussions were at an early stage, adding: “This is the beginning of the story.”
Ukraine has not responded to the above information.
Unlike France, US President Donald Trump has previously demanded that Kyiv provide about $500 billion in natural resources as compensation for the aid Washington provided to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia. To further discuss the deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to visit the White House to meet with Trump on February 28.
"We can make a deal where we get our money back and we get a lot of money in the future. I think that's appropriate," Trump said on February 27.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khong-chi-my-phap-cung-dam-phan-ve-khoang-san-quan-trong-voi-ukraine-185250227194732122.htm
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