Ukraine and the US may sign a memorandum of intent on a subsoil agreement today, – Zelensky

According to the president, work is currently underway on the text.

Ukraine and the United States can today virtually sign a memorandum of intent regarding the future conclusion of a serious agreement on minerals . As an UNIAN correspondent reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a briefing.

The Head of State noted that last week’s technical meeting in Washington was productive and positive. At the same time, the work continued yesterday and continues today.

“Our First Deputy Prime Minister (Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko) is working with the team of Scott Bessent (US Treasury Secretary) and with Bessent directly,” Zelenskyy said.

The President added that the American side has returned cooperation to the first steps. Earlier, work began on a serious agreement, which still needs to be considered by parliament, appropriate procedures must be passed, and lawyers must work to ensure success for both states. The technical meeting was positive, because both countries are going to meet each other. Zelensky emphasized:

“A couple of days ago, the American side proposed, nevertheless, to go back to one more step while the lawyers are working on the agreement – this is a memorandum of intent. Our intentions are positive. We are constructive. And we show it. And therefore, the memorandum of intent, not the agreement itself, but the memorandum of intent can be signed online today.”

According to him, the Ukrainian side agreed to this just today.

“I understand that they are now – the vice prime minister is working with the American side on the text,” the president said.

He believes that the memorandum is a first step. At the same time, the Ukrainian gas transportation system was not discussed in the process of preparing for the development of the mineral resources agreement.

Minerals Agreement

Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi said that Ukraine and the United States of America are getting closer to concluding an agreement on minerals . According to his spokesman, in the opinion of the Ukrainian side, the previous round of negotiations in Washington last week was “constructive and positive”, and “there are good, correct moves forward that bring the positions of the parties closer – bring us closer to concluding this agreement.”

Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka assured that negotiations on an agreement on mineral extraction do not involve specific amounts or debts , but are about creating an instrument for joint investments and mutual benefit.

(C)UNIAN 2025