The panel was chaired by Mr. Vitaliy RADCHENKO, Managing Partner and Head of Energy & Climate Change at CMS, Ukraine. The speakers included: Mr. Volodymyr TSABAL, Secretary of the Committee on Budget of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Mr. Paul COYER, Research Professor at the Institute of World Politics, USA; Ms. Ksenia ORYNCHAK, Founder and Executive Director of the National Association of Extractive Industries of Ukraine; and Mr. Greg SWENSON, Chairman of Republicans Overseas UK, USA.

The speakers highlighted the need for Ukraine to update its legislation on critical minerals in order to make use of existing potential and become competitive globally. They also stressed the importance of well-targeted international partnerships tailored to the specifics of each resource. China’s dominant position in mineral processing remains a major challenge on the global market. In this context, cooperation between Ukraine and the United States gives Kyiv the opportunity to attract capital and help diversify Western supply sources. However, progress depends on achieving lasting peace and a stable security environment, both essential for developing mining projects. A relevant point is that the territory occupied by Russia includes roughly half of Ukraine’s areas rich in mineral resources.