Editorial changes made to bill on ratification of minerals deal — "servant of people" Merezhko
At a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, editorial changes were made to the draft law on the ratification of the Agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the United States on the establishment of the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.
This was announced by the chairman of the Committee, Oleksandr Merezhko, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
"Today, the committee did meet, where we returned to the issue of considering the draft for ratification," he said.
The lawmaker said the committee had decided to insert several paragraphs into the document, but emphasized that the amendments were "editorial in nature" and did not affect the substance of the bill.
"Yesterday, we supported the version developed jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet of Ministers. In my opinion, we voted for the right version, but we also understood our colleagues' concerns, took their position into account, and made a compromise — particularly to broaden the base of support for the vote," Merezko explained.
According to him, the following provision was added to the draft:
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine states that, as of the time of ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the United States on the establishment of the American-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has not received the text of the Limited Partnership Agreement or other agreements whose conclusion is envisaged under this Agreement.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also notes that the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the United States on the establishment of the American-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund shall not constitute ratification or automatic approval by Parliament of the Limited Partnership Agreement or of any other agreements to be concluded by the authorized parties in the implementation of this Agreement.
Merezhko said that after the relevant amendments were approved, the committee once again recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt the draft law on ratification of the agreement as a basis and as a whole.
As a reminder, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signed the U.S.–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund Agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States could receive over $350 billion following the signing of the critical minerals agreement.
The White House stated that the signing of the critical minerals agreement with Ukraine reflects the United States' commitment to the country's sovereign future.
