Ukraine receives draft agreement on minerals from US – Ukraine's economy minister
Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko confirmed that Ukraine has received a new version of the minerals agreement from the United States.
She said this during the government's question hour in the Verkhovna Rada [Ukraine's parliament – ed].
"We are working on it. This is a working version, which essentially reflects the position of American legal advisors. We are forming our position," Svyrydenko said.
The day before, MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported on the new version of the document. Svyrydenko stated that public discussions on the text of this agreement harm the negotiations and "prevent a constructive discussion with American partners."
The minister assured that as soon as a consensus is reached, government officials will present a public position to the Verkhovna Rada deputies.
Also, consultations with the parliament will be held on the agreement if necessary.
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As early as February 26, according to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine and the United States of America had actually worked out the final version of the agreement on rare earths. This agreement is called the "Agreement on Establishing the Rules and Conditions of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine".
However, on February 28, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump were unable to sign the agreement on subsoil. During a meeting at the White House, the Ukrainian leader argued with his American counterparts, Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, about the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Later, Trump said that he had received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he said that he wanted lasting peace and was ready to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible.
He quoted Zelensky's earlier post on the X social network. In it, he said that Ukraine was ready to "work quickly" "under the strong leadership" of US President Donald Trump to end the war.
Meanwhile, the United States has proposed a new (no longer a framework) agreement with Ukraine on rare earth metals. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant indicated that Ukraine might finalize a subsoil agreement in the coming days. Additionally, Donald Trump has expressed readiness to intensify sanctions against Russia if needed.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the agreement has not reached a final version yet and complained that conditions are constantly changing.
"And it seems that we have already agreed that there will be a framework agreement, and then a full one. Now, the US is proposing to conclude a full agreement immediately. This requires a detailed study," he said.
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported reading a new version of the agreement in which the US proposes that most of the fund's management consist of American representatives (3 out of 5 members). All new investment projects are initially offered to the American side, and any changes require their agreement.
Zhelezniak noted that the text does not mention nuclear power plants or ports, focusing instead on state and private company production. However, the agreement lacks security guarantees from the US.
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