Ukraine’s Cabinet urges parliament to ratify U.S. minerals deal by May 8

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated this during the government’s question hour, according to Ukrinform.

He emphasized that on the evening of May 1, the Cabinet supported the relevant documents. Shmyhal explained that the first agreement on minerals must be ratified by the Verkhovna Rada, while subsequent "technical" documents will be of an implementation nature.

"These will be commercial or executive agreements that will be signed directly between the Ukrainian agency and the American state company DFC," the head of government stressed.

However, subsequent agreements will not require ratification by the Ukrainian parliament.

"They will be a continuation of this intergovernmental agreement, which we are asking to be ratified... They will not be broader than this agreement. We would be grateful if the parliament manages to ratify it by May 8. That is, we are asking for the decision to be voted on in the Rada as soon as possible. But it is up to you to decide when the ratification can take place. The government is asking for this to be done as promptly as the legislation allows," Shmyhal said.

• On April 30, Ukraine and the United States signed an agreement to establish an Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.
• The White House called the signing of the agreement to create the Reconstruction Investment Fund between the U.S. and Ukraine the first of its kind and a historic partnership.