Ukraine ratifies US minerals pact, eyes tighter security ties

The chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, Oleksandr Merezhko, mentioned that a total of 338 deputies voted for the ratification, and no one was against it.

The agreement grants the United States preferential access to Ukrainian mineral resources and opens up the possibility of future military assistance to Ukraine. However, the document lacks explicit security guarantees.

The agreement, signed in April in Washington, includes provisions for, among other things, preferential U.S. access to Ukrainian mineral resource contracts and the establishment of an investment fund to support the reconstruction of the country for the first 10 years.

Although the vote was unanimous, there were controversies. Some deputies complained about a lack of access to the full content of the agreement and ambiguities in the operation of the future investment fund. Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko assured that the fund would start operating within a few weeks, and two additional documents would clarify its operation, reports Reuters.

Reuters notes that Kyiv has hopes for not only economic but also military and political benefits from the agreement. Ukrainian authorities are counting on close cooperation with the USA to obtain new air defence systems, including Patriot batteries, although this was not explicitly stated in the agreement.

Ukrainian authorities view the document as a key element in rebuilding relations with the Biden administration after a challenging meeting in February. Zelensky believes that the current version of the agreement is much better than previous ones, which some politicians described as "colonial."