Mathernová does not believe in EU 'red lines' regarding minerals agreement between Ukraine, USA

Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Katarína Mathernová, does not believe that the EU has "red lines" regarding the potential agreement with the United States on minerals, as only Ukraine can set them.

In an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday, answering questions about what the "red lines" are for the EU and Ukraine's European integration in the potential agreement with the United States on mineral resources, Mathernová said that she does not believe that the European Union has "red lines."

The ambassador emphasized that only the Ukrainian government could set "red lines," and therefore, she did not believe there were any "red lines" from the EU side. However, she noted that they were, of course, discussing the agreement with the Ukrainian authorities.

Speaking about the realism of the EU's plans to transfer 2 million artillery shells to Ukraine by the end of the year, Mathernová noted "optimism" in achieving this goal.

The ambassador said that active discussions with member states regarding shells were ongoing. She noted that the EU High Representative had been very optimistic about achieving the goal. She added that while the work was still in progress, the outlook appeared more optimistic than it had been a few weeks earlier.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration - Minister of Justice Olha Stefanishyna reported that technical consultations on the minerals agreement with the United States with the participation of teams from the Ministries of Justice and Economy of Ukraine will be held on Friday, April 11, in Washington.