Ukraine-US resource deal sparks uproar in parliament
The echoes of the uproar in the Ukrainian parliament continue to resonate. Deputies quarreled over the provisions of a new version of the agreement on Ukrainian resources proposed by the USA. "Ukraine wakes up in shock. We resisted one colonial empire; now, another superpower is taking actions to seize our country," comments Nedim Useinow, a Ukrainian political scientist, for WP.
It all started with information that appeared in the Ukrainian media, revealing that the USA wishes to control the extraction of all important raw materials in Ukraine, not only rare earth metals, but also oil and gas.
According to Jarosław Żelaźniak, a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, such provisions were found in the draft of the American-Ukrainian agreement. Żelaźniak warned that the document does not mention security guarantees. In his view, the American version of the draft agreement involves taking all income from resource extraction abroad. Only afterward will the money collected in a special fund account be shared between the United States and Ukraine.
The discussion on this topic turned into commotion. The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, had no choice and decided to interrupt the session.
Originating from Crimea, political scientist Nedim Useinow, an expert from the think tank The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), explains in an interview with Wirtualna Polska that the stormy session results from ongoing discussions about ending the war and the prospect of signing an agreement.
"Political forces in Ukraine are starting to activate"
The polarized, very diverse Ukrainian political scene was dormant for three years. Now it is feeling impulses from outside and starting to react. Political forces are doubling their activation, reports Useinow to WP.
He reveals that Donald Trump's administration tried to send signals to opponents of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"They cast a line" to test the readiness for potential cooperation in the future. So far, neither Yulia Tymoshenko nor Petro Poroshenko has accepted the American proposal of cooperation against Zelenskyy. The Crimean political scientist comments that Ukrainian politicians see that Americans are acting inconsistently.
As Useinow recalls, Trump first demanded access to rare earth metals and then began expanding demands.
Besides minerals, there are now expectations for access to oil, gas, and very profitable power plants. As a result, Ukraine wakes up in shock. We resisted one colonial empire; now, another superpower is taking actions to seize our country, asserts Useinow.
He emphasizes that currently, the USA wants access to all natural resources that determine Ukraine's future.
"So that Ukraine becomes a pawn in the business of the United States, Russia, or China. The Ukrainian society will not agree to this, and this sentiment is reflected in the Ukrainian parliament," comments the Crimean political scientist.
What's next for the US-Ukraine resource agreement?
Formally, the resource agreement must be ratified by parliament. After Thursday's commotion, the bill on this matter will not be processed for the next two weeks.
According to Deputy Żelaźniak, there will be "further negotiations and changes" on the agreement. "As is usually the case in negotiations, the USA immediately raised the stakes to the sky," said Żelaźniak.
As Useinow recalls, Zelenskyy has so far only signed a declaration on concluding the agreement.
He now has to convince politicians from his Servant of the People party, badly "battered" by the war, about its provisions. This is not easy, especially since Trump's administration continuously adds new demands. The United States can bid high and raise the stakes, but ultimately they will get what the nation and the Ukrainian parliament agree to. The devil is in the details, emphasizes the Crimean political scientist.
