KYIV, March 13 – Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, Olha Stefanishyna, has stated that the agreement with the United States does not entail the transfer of rights to natural resources or any property rights, and therefore does not require consideration through a nationwide referendum.

"If the agreement involved the use of Ukraine's natural resources or the right to Ukrainian subsoil, then, undoubtedly, it would not only require ratification but also a referendum. After all, we all know the fundamental principle enshrined in Ukraine's Constitution that natural resources belong to the Ukrainian people. However, this agreement does not involve the transfer of rights to use natural resources or any property rights. It concerns the allocation of revenues to the state budget, a portion of which will be generated for the Fund," Stefanishyna said in an interview with the publication Yurydychna Praktyka, responding to a question on whether the agreement requires approval via a national referendum.