A new stage of negotiations on subsoil use will begin in the United States on April 24, with technical matters and wording related to the operation of the future investment fund currently being finalized.
This was announced on television by Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative Taras Kachka.
"On Thursday, April 24, a new round of negotiations will begin. We are now working in parallel with both our legal team and the American legal team, trying to resolve many technical issues and narrow them down to the most sensitive ones that will require political decisions," Kachka said.
He noted that the outcome of the talks will determine whether the agreement itself will be ready by April 26.
"We are ready to demonstrate maximum efficiency, but the full set of documents comprises dozens of pages," the deputy minister explained.
According to him, there is no discussion of recognizing U.S. aid already provided as debt.
"This is about ensuring that, through the activities of this fund (a joint investment fund), the U.S., as one of the partners, will earn at least as much as it has provided in aid," Kachka said.
He emphasized that Ukraine will also be able to earn from future investments. The deputy minister added that the parties are now working on wording that will clearly define the structure of the fund.
The actual agreement on establishing the joint investment fund will be signed between a Ukrainian state enterprise and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
On April 17, Ukrainian and American representatives signed a memorandum confirming their shared intent to conclude a mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement. The agreement itself still requires finalization and ratification by the parliaments of both countries.
