Diplomatic tensions are rising over a potential U.S.-Ukraine raw materials deal. President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that conditions of the agreement could jeopardize his country’s EU accession.

The prospects for accelerating peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war once again seem more distant. At a press conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it unequivocally clear that his country would reject any agreement with the United States over resources if it endangered Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union.

„Ukraine’s constitution clearly states that we are moving toward the EU. We cannot accept anything that puts this path at risk,”

Zelensky stated. His remarks come amid reports of a revised version of the proposed agreement, which would grant the U.S. extensive access to Ukrainian resources—including oil, gas and infrastructure—through a joint investment fund.

According to the Financial Times, the latest Washington proposal contains provisions that Zelensky views as interference in Ukraine’s economic sovereignty. The Ukrainian news outlet European Pravda has also warned that the deal could conflict with EU accession criteria, as it would give the U.S. influence over key resource-related decisions—something Brussels is scrutinizing with a critical eye.

Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine received the revamped version of the agreement on March 28 and is now reviewing it from a legal perspective. He noted that it contains new clauses that have yet to be discussed, as well as previously rejected conditions.

A previous draft was originally set for signing in February but was postponed. Reports suggest that disputes between Washington and Kyiv over the extent of American access to Ukrainian resources were the key sticking points. The White House has framed the deal as a mechanism to ensure that some of the billions of dollars in military aid sent to Ukraine would eventually generate returns in the medium and long term—a notion that Zelensky has outright rejected.

„We are grateful for the support—but this is not a loan,”

he asserted.

Experts suggest that this latest development signals an even stronger pivot toward Europe by Zelensky—despite the fact that the EU continues to provide Ukraine with increasing levels of support, far more than many European citizens would prefer. Most Western analysts agree that if Britain and France proceed with deploying troops to Ukraine, it could escalate into an even larger war: Zelensky and the EU against Putin’s Russia—and without Trump’s backing. Some warn that such a move would be tantamount to a suicide mission for Europe as a whole.