The deal comes after a heated exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House in February. Photo: ANDREW HARNIK / Getty Images via AFP
Ukraine's parliament will hold a vote on 8 May to ratify a minerals deal signed with the United States earlier this week, a lawmaker said on Friday, while the prime minister suggested the agreement will help Kyiv with supplies of air defence systems.
Ukraine and the US signed a deal on Wednesday that will give the United States preferential access to new investments in extraction of Ukraine's natural resources, and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction.
According to the deal, new military aid, if provided by Washington to Kyiv, could be scored as the US contribution to the joint fund being set up under the accord.
"This agreement will allow us to better defend our country here and now - to better protect our skies thanks to American air defence systems," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the governmental meeting.
Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak published the date of the upcoming ratification vote on the Telegram messaging app.
The accord, heavily promoted by US President Donald Trump, is central to Kyiv's efforts to mend ties with the White House, its main military backer in its war against the Russian invasion. The ties had frayed after Trump took office in January.
Zheleznyak also cited Shmyhal as telling parliament on Friday that two of the documents related to the deal covered its implementation and would not need to be ratified by lawmakers.
Ukraine's cabinet registered a bill with parliament to ratify the minerals deal with the US late on Thursday, according to the parliamentary database.
"We want to ratify it as soon as possible. So we plan to do it within the coming weeks," First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday.
- Reuters
