It is a major advance in resolving conflict in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Parliament ratified this Thursday, May 8, the agreement “historical” With the United States on the exploitation of the country’s natural resources, signed after weeks of stormy negotiations and which could, according to Kyiv, pave the way for new American military aid.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke with Donald Trump in the evening, estimated that this text was already opening a “New chapter” In relations between Kyiv and Washington. “At the moment, [l’accord] constitutes a solid basis for safety cooperation and, in the long term, it offers Ukraine and the United States the opportunity to expand mutually beneficial economic collaboration ”he added in a message published on social networks.
Earlier, on X, the Minister of Economy, Ioulia Svyrydenko, announced the ratification by the Ukrainian parliament of a “Historical economic partnership agreement”. This document concerns the extraction of minerals, oil and gas – 57 types of resources in total in Ukraine, which has been facing the Russian invasion for more than three years.
338 parliamentarians voted in favor of this text, the minimum required being 226. It does not include security guarantees for Kyiv, which nevertheless insisted on this condition. “This agreement offers the possibility of benefiting from new military aid […] from the American administration “however, assured Ioulia Svyrydenko.
Before the signing of the agreement, Donald Trump’s administration had announced its intention to quickly put an end to war between Ukraine and Russia, at the same time as its spectacularly warming relations with Moscow, raising fears of the abandonment of the pursuit of the crucial American support in Kyiv.
The bilateral agreement had been signed at the end of April after weeks of tensions between Kyiv and Washington, who had culminated in a verbal game between presidents Trump and Zelensky in the oval office in late February.
Contrary to what Donald Trump wanted, the document does not plan to count Ukraine’s debt to the United States, the American aid granted by his predecessor Joe Biden since the start of the invasion in 2022, as the United States. “The agreement does not mention any debt, but only new investments. And it is very important that these investments are made in Ukraine ”welcomed Ioulia Svyrydenko on X.
If it does not include security guarantees, the agreement “An opportunity to put pressure on Russia because it shows that the United States is ready to protect its partnership and interest. These are not only my feelings, these are the words of the White House ”she said.
The text, on the other hand, provides that the new American military aid can be recorded as a contribution to a Ukrain-American investment fund, the Minister recalled. This fund for «reconstruction» From Ukraine, ravaged by more than three years of war, will be funded and managed equally by both parties.
The Ukrainian contribution will be made up of 50 % of the royalties drawn from new licenses issued for the exploitation of natural resources, according to Kyiv.
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