Ukraine and the USA start working on a free trade area — Shmyhal

This was written by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Telegram.

During his visit to Washington, Shmyhal thanked the US President Donald Trump for continuing sanctions against Russia.

"It is necessary to strengthen sanctions pressure on the aggressor to force it into peace. In particular, we discussed strengthening sanctions on the Russian energy sector due to the occupation of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant," Shmyhal wrote.

He mentioned that during the meeting with the US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, they discussed financial assistance to Ukraine for the next year.

"The Government of Ukraine undoubtedly supports the conclusion of an economic partnership agreement between the American and Ukrainian peoples and the creation of a recovery investment fund. Our negotiation teams continue active work, as outlined in the signed memorandum. The negotiating groups will report progress by April 26 this year," the Prime Minister stated.

According to him, important political aspects of the future document were discussed.

"I also emphasized that the agreement, according to Ukrainian law, must necessarily be ratified in the Verkhovna Rada. We agreed to start working on a free trade zone between Ukraine and the USA," Shmyhal highlighted.