Ukraine receives draft agreement on minerals from US — Economy Minister Svyrydenko
The Ukrainian side has received a new version of the minerals agreement from the US, Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko said during a Question Hour to the government in the parliament.
"We are working on it. This is a working version, which, in essence, reflects the position of American legal advisors. We are forming our position," said the official.
The day before, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that a new version of the document was received. Svyrydenko stated that public discussions about the text of this agreement harm the negotiations and "prevent constructive discussions with American partners."
The minister assured that as soon as a consensus is reached, government officials will come out with a public position to the members of the Verkhovna Rada. Also, if necessary, consultations will be held with the parliament regarding the agreement.
What is the agreement about?
Ukraine and the United States have previously agreed to sign an agreement on joint mining of Ukrainian minerals.
According to the agreements, it stipulates creating a joint Investment Fund, which will be replensished with 50% of all revenues received from the future monetization of Ukraine's natural assets. The Ukrainian government said that the funds should go to reconstruction. How exactly such a fund will work and other details, the delegations of the parties have yet to agree on in a separate agreement.
In March, it was reported that US President Donald Trump wants to change the minerals agreement to a “bigger and better one.” According to media reports, the Trump administration wanted to push for new terms, including US control over Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that there is no final version of the agreement yet, and complained that the terms are constantly changing.
"And it seems like we have already agreed that there will be a framework agreement, and then a full one. Now the US is proposing to immediately conclude a full agreement. This requires detailed study," he said.
MP Oleksii Honcharenko said that he had read a new version of the agreement, where the Americans propose that the majority in the management of the fund be representatives of the United States (3 out of 5 members). All new investment projects are initially offered to the American side, and any changes are made by agreement with the American side.
According to the lawmaker, the text does not contain any clauses about nuclear power plants and ports, it only mentions mining by state and private companies. But there are also no security guarantees from the US.
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