According to him, this cooperation has been ongoing for four years.
"Since 2021, the EU has had an official partnership with Ukraine regarding critical raw materials, formalized by a memorandum of understanding. So, this dates back four years. As with all our partnerships involving critical raw materials for the EU, this collaboration aims not only to ensure the security of supply chains for the EU but also to promote the creation of local value and the development of capacity in partner countries, providing mutual benefits," said Renier.
He emphasized that there is no talk of competition with the United States.
The European official explained that the statement by European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné in Kyiv on February 24 only reaffirms "the commitment to implementing this memorandum" and the continued support for Ukraine from the EU.
"These discussions did not arise recently in light of possible recent events. The partnership we have with our Ukrainian friends began four years ago. And, as is the case with all important raw materials and memorandums of understanding that we have with our partners, it certainly concerns creating synergy between the supply chains on both sides and, of course, creating advantages for our partners on the ground. And this is what this memorandum of understanding is about," Renier explained.