Ukraine halts parliamentary session over US mineral deal dispute
In Kyiv, the parliamentary session was interrupted as the speaker's podium was blocked. Members of Parliament were debating a controversial agreement with the USA concerning Ukrainian minerals. The new version of the agreement is stirring significant emotions.
What do you need to know?
- In Kyiv, during a parliamentary session, Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk decided to interrupt the session because Members of Parliament blocked the speaker's podium.
- Members of Parliament were discussing a new version of the agreement with the USA, which concerns the use of Ukrainian minerals, including oil and gas.
- Why does the agreement cause controversy? The new version of the agreement extends the range of natural resources available to the USA and gives them priority in investment decisions.
Why was the session in Kyiv interrupted?
During the parliamentary session in Kyiv, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, decided to interrupt the session. The reason was that Members of Parliament blocked the speaker's podium, preventing further discussions.
Members of Parliament were debating a new version of the agreement with the USA concerning Ukrainian minerals.
What does the new agreement with the USA contain?
The new version of the agreement, consisting of 58 pages, was presented during recent talks with the Ukrainian delegation. The agreement extends the range of natural resources to which Americans would have access, including oil and gas.
The USA would additionally have priority in decisions regarding new infrastructure investments and the ability to prohibit the sale of resources to other countries.
A politician from the Ukrainian Voice party, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, informed that the session was interrupted during the presentation of the project details. "In short: a speech was given in the Rada regarding the insult to parliament and the new mineral agreement. The further meeting was interrupted. Therefore, dear journalist friends, today or for the next two weeks, bill no. 11533 will not appear in the records at all," - he wrote on his Telegram channel.
What are the next steps regarding the agreement?
Zhelezniak suggested that the mineral agreement project with the USA is currently the subject of intense negotiations, and changes are expected to be made to it.
"The American side immediately raised the stakes to the sky," - he added. Changes to the project could only be introduced with the consent of the United States.
