While the US and Ukraine are on the verge of a comprehensive resource agreement, the German federal government is being cautious in this matter. The deposits in question have not yet been explored, said Government Spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Friday in response to a request from the German News Agency. As a result, one must first consider how a possible peace situation in Ukraine might look and who would then have control over these deposits. “We must wait and see before we concern ourselves with the details” Hebestreit said.
The possible extraction of resources in Ukraine was not a topic at the recent Paris meeting nor at the briefing given by French President Macron to European partners after his US visit and it is unlikely to be on the agenda on Sunday in London, according to the government spokesman.
US President Donald Trump had effectively linked the topic of resource extraction in Ukraine to the upcoming peace negotiations and demanded access to rare earths and other natural resources as compensation for the previous military aid to Ukraine. Some of the suspected deposits, however, are located on territory currently occupied by Russia. The European Union has also previously attempted to reach agreements with Ukraine on this matter.