Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) voted on Thursday to ratify a mineral agreement signed with the United States in the hope that Washington would provide future military aid to Kyiv, according to Ukrainian media.
338 Ukrainian lawmakers voted in favour of ratifying the agreement, with no one opposed. The ratification took place a day before a military parade in Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
Some critics said the timing of the deal’s ratification was intended to shift the news agenda away from the Red Square parade, where more than 30 world leaders are due to gather. Preparations have also been marred by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia, with Kyiv hoping that ratification of the mineral agreement would reinforce its position in future ceasefire talks, according to Reuters.
Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced the ratification on X.
The Ukrainian Parliament has ratified the historic Economic Partnership Agreement between Ukraine and the United States. This document is not merely a legal construct — it is the foundation of a new model of interaction with a key strategic partner.
Questionable deal terms
Several lawmakers expressed concern over the lack of details in some provisions of the deal, calling into question the transparency of the agreement and casting a shadow over the intentions of the administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Among the vague provisions is how the proposed investment fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction will be managed or how any contributions will be made.
Against the background of the concerns, Svyrydenko called an early press conference on Thursday, saying the investment fund would be operational in a few weeks, with its success depending on the level of US participation.
The mineral agreement signed last month in Washington gives the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian resource deals and establishes an investment fund that can be used to rebuild Ukraine over the next 10 years.
However, the agreement lacks a provision to return aid previously provided by the United States to Ukraine and also includes a US recognition of Kyiv’s intention to join the European Union. Ukraine sees the deal as a way to unblock US arms deliveries, although the agreement does not provide clear guarantees.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the agreement envisaged the creation of an investment fund with equal distribution of management and contributions between Ukraine and the United States. Moreover, Washington’s military aid will be counted as the administration’s contribution to the fund.
Meanwhile, MP Yaroslav Zalizniak stated that the deal on minerals is permanent, with Ukraine committing itself to contribute half of the proceeds from new licences for natural resources to the investment fund.
According to researchers at the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, about 47 per cent of Ukrainians support the deal, whereas 22 per cent say it could have negative consequences for the country. Meanwhile, 29 per cent of Ukrainians do not believe that the deal will have any impact.
