Zelenskyy on the subsoil deal: MPs who won't vote will create problems for themselves

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: The President's Office

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that MPs who do not vote for the ratification of the subsoil agreement will create problems for themselves. According to him, this document is important for Ukraine's security and partnership with the United States.

He said this at his press conference, according to «Ukrinform».

He stressed that since 2020, the Verkhovna Rada has ratified more than 160 agreements, and the process with subsoil is no different: the government signs, the parliament votes, and then there are technical steps.

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«This morning, a representative of the parliamentary corps asked me a question. I believe that this issue is very important today. Everything that could be done under the agreement, I believe, was done very professionally by government officials and lawyers from both countries. If some of the MPs do not vote, I believe that it will be the problem of these people who do not want to support it. But I hope that the agreement will be ratified,» he said.

The President also noted that some political forces do not plan to support this issue. At the same time, he criticised MPs who oppose decisions important for Ukraine's security but at the same time regularly visit the US and position themselves as «friends of America».

«If they understand all this and do not vote. There are people who are determined not to. So I think the US should just cancel their visas. They come to the US every month and tell us how bad it is in Ukraine. They say how they know how to end the war very quickly, which parts of Ukraine are important and which are not so important. After they pass through the corridors of the respective congressmen or senators, they say that they are friends with the US. And then they come back to Ukraine and do not vote for what is important to the current US President and on which Ukraine's security depends. You can't play a double game. The result will be on the scoreboard - who voted and who did not,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Agreement on minerals between Ukraine and the United States

Earlier, Donald Trump said that he would like to conclude a deal under which Ukraine would supply the United States with rare earth minerals needed for electronics production in exchange for American aid.

However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised Donald Trump's proposal to provide Ukraine with military assistance in exchange for its minerals.

Subsequently, US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine had agreed to provide Washington with access to rare earth minerals worth $500 billion.

It should be noted, however, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign the agreement on granting the US access to rare earth minerals. The White House called this decision «short-sighted».

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the United States might consider investing in mining on the Black Sea shelf, which is currently under Russian occupation.

US National Security Advisor Mike Volz called on Kyiv «to tone it down» and sign the mining agreement that President Zelenskyy had previously rejected.

Subsequently, the US President Donald Trump's administration sent Ukraine an updated version of the mining agreement, which took into account some of Kyiv's comments. The new draft US minerals agreement provides for the distribution of revenues from resources in the liberated territories of Ukraine.

Ukraine and the US also discussed some other issues before signing the minerals agreement.

A week ago, the two countries signed a memorandum as a first step towards reaching an agreement on expanding economic cooperation, including the development of mineral resources in Ukraine, which has proven to be unattainable.