ISTANBUL

The EU welcomes the newly signed US-Ukraine economic partnership agreement and emphasized that the deal will not hinder Ukraine’s accession process, said European Commission's chief spokesperson Paula Pinho.

"We do welcome the agreement that was struck yesterday, that it does take into consideration, notably the accession process of Ukraine," Pinho said, speaking at the daily press briefing in Brussels.

She said the deal would not have a negative impact on Ukraine’s future EU membership, easing concerns in Kyiv regarding potential conflicts of interest.

The US and Ukraine announced earlier that a critical minerals deal had been signed, following months of often fraught negotiations.

Under the agreement, the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund is set to be established.

The US Treasury Department said the economic partnership would allow the two to work collaboratively to accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery, highlighting Washington's "significant financial and material support" to Kyiv since the war with Russia began in 2022.

Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the fund would be used to invest in projects to extract useful fossil fuels and oil and gas, as well as in related infrastructure or recycling projects to be jointly decided by the two countries.​​​​​​​