As reported by RBK-Ukraine, this was stated at a press conference on February 25 by European Commission spokesperson Thomas Renier. This information is also provided by Kontrakty.UA.
"There is no proposal. Since 2021, the EU has had a partnership with Ukraine regarding critical raw materials, formalized through our memorandum of understanding. This was signed four years ago. As with all EU partnerships concerning critical raw materials, the aim is to secure supply chains for the EU and to promote the creation of local added value and capacity building in partner countries, ensuring mutual benefit," Renier said.
It is worth noting that today, Politico reported that the European Union has offered Ukraine its own agreement on the use of rare earth materials. The publication referred to a statement by the European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy, Stefan Sejourne. According to him, he allegedly presented a competitive proposal to Ukrainian officials during his visit to Kyiv on February 24.
Renier stated that during his visit to Kyiv, Sejourne met with his Ukrainian counterparts and reaffirmed his commitment to implementing this memorandum of understanding and accelerating efforts to strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership.
"Indeed, we have a memorandum of understanding, we have confirmed our commitment to it, and we certainly look forward to its implementation," said the EC spokesperson.