Ukraine, US draft agreement on space exploration

Ukraine and the United State have drafted an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of peaceful space exploration, Director General of the Ukrainian National Space Agency Yuri Alexeyev told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

According to Itar-Tass, the document is expected to be signed within the framework of U.S. President George Bush’s visit to Kiev scheduled for March 31 – April 1.

“We expect that a NASA representative will be in the delegation,” said Alexeyev, who was assigned to sign the document for Ukraine.

This will be a framework agreement. It has been drafted for about two years.

“Ukraine signed similar documents with many of its partners, including Russia and the European Union. Agreements of the kind determine key principles of cooperation,” Alexeyev said.

In his words, the document does not include a list of specific projects, but it lays down a foundation for their implementation.

The agreement embraces promising spheres for cooperation and the protection of parties’ interest during the implementation of joint projects.

Ukrainian and American companies study the possibilities for further cooperation, including “some aspects of anti-ballistic missile defence.”