**Ukraine’s President Clarifies Mineral Deal with US**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken out about a minerals deal being negotiated between Ukraine and the United States. On April 1, he said that the agreement does not mention Ukraine’s potential membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Zelensky confirmed earlier reports that there was no link between the mineral deal and NATO membership. “There is no mention of NATO in this agreement, and there never was,” he said.
The Ukrainian President also mentioned that discussions about Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union are still ongoing. He has previously stated that any minerals deal must not compromise the country’s path toward EU membership.
**Lawyers Working on Mineral Deal**
Zelensky added that lawyers, rather than government officials, are mainly working on the mineral deal. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, had previously said that Ukraine received a new draft of the US’ expanded deal on mineral resources on March 28.
**Contradictory Statements**
There have been contradictory statements about the mineral deal from both sides. On March 30, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Zelensky is trying to back out of the critical minerals agreement with the US.
“He’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that, he’s got some problems, big, big problems,” Trump said. However, Zelensky has denied this claim, saying that Ukraine is not trying to back out of the deal.
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