In return for access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, President Trump has now reportedly stated that he is willing to provide the country with additional munitions.
Ukraine supports the plan, although it may not be so simple to implement: Many of the minerals that the United States is most interested in are located in regions that are either under Russian occupation or under danger of being overrun by Moscow.
Therefore, the fight for eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces are already making gradual but steady progress, will be crucial to gaining access to significant natural resources in Ukraine.
This is particularly true for rare earths, a group of minerals that are now crucial to some high-tech sectors, such as renewable energy and defense, where Trump has shown a specific interest.
At the moment, China provides the majority of the rare earths used worldwide.
According to maps released by the Ukrainian Geological Survey, the governmental regulator for mineral resources, rare earth deposits have been discovered in a number of locations around Ukraine, but the largest known field is located in an area that crosses the frontline in eastern Ukraine.
Significant reserves of other precious minerals, such as titanium, cobalt, and lithium, are also found in Ukraine.
Ukraine claims to have Europe’s greatest reserves of lithium, which is used in batteries, and titanium, which is used to create alloys for airplanes and naval vessels.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first proposed the idea of providing Western friends with access to Ukraine’s mineral riches in return for ongoing financial and military assistance.
He referred to it as a “Victory Plan” and submitted it to Trump and U.S. officials last fall. In a statement on Tuesday, Zelensky reaffirmed his readiness to allow the United States to develop his nation’s resources in exchange for continuing to send armaments to Kyiv.
Trump’s suggestion to trade resources for military assistance is reminiscent of his remarks during his first term that the war in Afghanistan might be funded by the country’s enormous mineral wealth.
Ukraine would soon face the threat of a military collapse if Trump were to halt weaponry supply, as he said he might do during the campaign.
Trump has also discussed easing the financial burden of financing Ukraine’s defense, even if he is now indicating that he is willing to continue supporting Kyiv—so long as the United States benefits.
Trump also chastised European friends on Monday for not bearing a greater portion of the help, and he floated the notion of exchanging aid for access to rare-earth minerals.
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