France has led talks on Ukraine's minerals since October 2024, French minister says

France and Ukraine have been discussing the use of Ukrainian minerals for the purposes of the French defense industry since October 2024, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, as France Info reported on Feb. 27.

The comments come as the U.S. and Kyiv reached an initial agreement on a deal on the use of Ukraine's natural resources, including rare earth minerals, oil, and gas. President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit Washington on Feb. 28 to discuss the deal and a possible inclusion of security guarantees.

Speaking on the 8h30 franceinfo program, Lecornu said that the French leadership has been considering the issue since last fall when Zelensky presented international partnerships on Ukrainian natural resources in his victory plan.

"Volodymyr Zelensky and his team saw that this issue of raw materials could be one of the transactional elements with us, to create endurance," Lecornu said.

"So, President Trump did not invent it because it was the Ukrainians themselves who did."

French President Emmanuel Macron instructed Lecornu to enter into bilateral talks with Ukraine on the issue last October to diversify the supply of rare earth minerals for the French defense industry, the minister said.

"Our defense industry will need a certain number of key raw materials in our own weapons systems, not for next year, but for the next 30 or 40 years," Lecornu added.

The U.S.-Ukraine deal, finalized on Feb. 25, follows weeks of negotiations that strained relations between Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump. Washington initially proposed three versions, with Kyiv rejecting the first two over the absence of security guarantees.

The latest version of the agreement, which the Kyiv Independent obtained, aims to create a fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50% of proceeds from the "future monetization" of state-owned mineral resources, including oil, gas, and logistics infrastructure.

While it does not contain concrete security guarantees, the agreement states that the U.S. government "supports Ukraine's efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace."

The AFP news agency reported earlier this week that the EU had proposed its own version of a deal on minerals that is "mutually beneficial." Soon after, the European Commission denied any such proposal.

Ukraine war latest: Trump says he will meet Zelensky on Feb. 28 in Washington to sign agreement on minerals

Key developments on Feb. 26: * Trump says he will meet Zelensky on Feb. 28 in Washington to sign agreement on minerals * No security guarantees in US minerals deal, to be discussed later, Zelensky says * US, Russia to meet again tomorrow in Istanbul, Lavrov says * No sanctions relief for Russia…

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk