ISTANBUL 

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Wednesday said a new round of negotiations with the US for a deal on critical minerals will begin this week, and a delegation will travel to America for technical-level talks.

"So we are now in negotiations with United States about mineral agreement ... in fact, this is agreement about launching of the investment fund,” Shmyhal told a press briefing at the EU-Ukraine Association Council in Brussels.

He stressed that Ukraine has some "red lines."

"First of all, this is our Constitution. Second, this is our European aspirations and our European obligations. So, this is another one red line, international legislation.”

"We also understand that it should be partnership agreement. So, on the equal conditions for both sides," he added.

Ukraine is forming a special technical delegation and working with international law firms, he said.

"We also cooperate with international lawyer companies, and we will send our delegation together with our lawyer, to United States at the end of this week, and I think technical negotiations will go through this weekend, next week, and then we'll see the results after this negotiations."

"We are quite optimistic because we should find a solution how to make this agreement... I believe that technical teams will have good cooperation.”

The agreement giving the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals was scheduled to be signed at the White House in late February. But US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in a heated dispute, and the signing was canceled.

Last month, Zelenskyy said the US sent Kyiv a new and “entirely different” version of the draft minerals deal proposal.

EU pledges more support for Ukraine

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reaffirmed the bloc's commitment to Ukraine.

Speaking alongside Shmyhal, Kallas stressed that Ukraine is "fighting a war that only Russia wants to continue," and highlighted the urgency of international support.

"Ukraine urgently needs a large caliber ammunition. Two million rounds will be our contribution," she said, adding that the EU and its member states are already supplying over 1 million rounds in orders or pledges.

She announced that "Ukraine will soon receive the rest from the first tranche of windfall profits. It is 1.4 billion euro from Russian immobilized assets,” with a second tranche of €2.1 billion expected to begin by the end of the month.

"The bulk of this 1 billion euro will support your own defense industry," she said.

Accusing China of enabling Russia’s war effort, she said: "Without Chinese support, Russia wouldn't be able to wage the war in the amount that they are waging."

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos described EU support as "a long-term strategic investment in security and safety of Europe," arguing that the bloc has mobilized €144 billion since the war began in 2022.

"Progress on the mutual recognition of technical standards, roaming and preparation for SEPA integration show Ukraine is not on the edge of Europe, but already becoming part of its core."