The United States has sent Ukraine its proposal for a detailed minerals agreement. The government team is currently reviewing it, and discussions will take place between the parties at a later date.
Points of attention
- The United States has presented Ukraine with a new subsoil agreement proposal, which includes the creation of a five-person governing body with three US representatives holding veto power.
- Politician Yaroslav Zheleznyak has expressed concerns about the proposed agreement, deeming it unfavorable for Ukraine.
- The US proposal for the subsoil agreement lacks mention of security guarantees, raising questions about the potential risks for Ukraine.
US agreement on Ukrainian subsoil: what is known about the new option
This was reported to Suspilny by sources familiar with the progress of negotiations on the agreement.
According to the publication's interlocutors, Ukrainian lawyers and government officials are currently working on a new draft agreement on subsoil proposed by the American side. Its current version will still be discussed with the American side, but it is "a step backward."
In this draft, the American side has taken several steps back compared to the framework agreement that was agreed upon by both sides earlier, a source told the Public.
People's Deputy and Deputy Chairman of the Tax Committee of the Verkhovna Rada Yaroslav Zheleznyak received the text of the agreement from his sources and reported that, in his opinion, this option is disadvantageous for Ukraine.
According to him, the agreement provides for the creation of a five-person governing body of the fund, where three US representatives will have the right of veto. The proposal also applies to Ukrainian oil and gas. Washington's contribution to the implementation of the agreement is considered to be the assistance provided to Kyiv since 2022.
At the same time, the agreement does not mention security guarantees.
The public has contacted the Ministry of Economy for comment.
On March 11, during a meeting of Ukrainian and American delegations in Jeddah, Ukraine proposed immediately signing an agreement on rare earth minerals, but then the US paused.
President Zelensky later said that the US would likely want to sign a detailed agreement immediately, without a framework agreement.
On March 25, Zelensky said that the United States had offered Ukraine a new version of the minerals agreement that would immediately require ratification by the Verkhovna Rada outside of the initial framework agreement. He also clarified that "the issue of nuclear power plants is not there."
