The gaffe occurred during remarks by Andrey Sibiga on a potential agreement between Kiev and Washington

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga appeared to confuse Ukraine and the US while speaking on Tuesday about a potential agreement between the two countries on critical minerals.

Kiev and Washington have been in talks to finalize a deal that would grant the US access to Ukraine's mineral resources, including rare-earth elements, in return for American military aid provided during the conflict with Moscow.

Speaking at a press briefing, Sibiga confirmed that a new round of consultations with the US on the draft agreement is already under way.

"The Ukrainian side is committed to concluding a document that would serve the national interests of both the United States and America," Sibiga said in a video released by a Ukrainian news outlet.

The foreign minister did not correct himself and went on to say that the potential agreement, which envisions a continued presence of major US businesses in Ukraine, would contribute to the country's broader security.

The arrangement was initially proposed by Vladimir Zelensky in his so-called 'victory plan' presented last year ahead of the US presidential election. Kiev aimed to secure continued US support against Russia by offering privileged access to mineral resources.

The two sides were expected to sign the agreement in late February, but the ceremony was derailed by a public clash between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, who accused the Ukrainian leader of ingratitude and reluctance to make a peace deal with Russia.

In addition, while Trump has portrayed the deal as a way for Ukraine to pay back past US assistance, Zelensky has insisted that Kiev owes Washington nothing.

According to media reports, the latest version of the deal includes significantly tougher terms for Ukraine. The US would reportedly recoup all aid provided to Ukraine since the 2022 escalation of the conflict with Russia, and would impose a 4% annual interest rate on the total before Kiev could access any of the profits from the joint extraction fund.

The US has allocated more than $123 billion in military and financial assistance to Ukraine since 2022, according to Germany's Kiel Institute. Trump has claimed the true cost to the US has exceeded $300 billion.

Last week, Zelensky said the new framework differs significantly from what had been planned in February, though he did not dismiss the proposal outright.

Trump has warned that Zelensky would face "big problems" if he attempts to back out of the deal.

(RT.com)