Trump promises to keep supporting Ukraine’s military effort, but he demands a unique reward.
A proposal that was first put up last year and gives “strategic partners” like the United States privileged access to Ukraine’s abundance of natural resources seems to have been accepted by the president.
In return for Washington’s billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv, President Donald Trump claims he wants access to Ukraine’s wealth of rare earth and vital minerals.
The concept was first put forth by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Republican senators, who hoped to maintain Washington’s support for Kyiv by appealing to Trump’s reputation as a dealmaker.
In the Oval Office on Monday, Trump told reporters, “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.” “They are willing to assist me in securing the rare earth.”
Ukraine is a major provider of wheat and other agricultural products, making it a global breadbasket. The nation also possesses a wealth of rare earth and vital minerals.
A wide range of technology, including solar panels, electric car batteries, and advanced military gear, depend on elements like lithium, gallium, and neodymium. Consequently, the
They have becoming more and more sought after by the US and China, among others.
Its massive “Belt and Road” infrastructure project, which has allowed Beijing to establish connections with resource-rich nations, is partially to blame for this. Its readiness to process these harmful elements for Western nations, who have been content to shoulder this responsibility until recently, is another factor.
With up to 5% of the global mineral supply, Ukraine is also a major player, according to the country’s Geological Association.Zelenskyy has expressed his nation’s openness to American investment in Ukraine due to Trump’s interest in rare earth minerals. The Ukrainian government, as part of the Victory Plan, has praised Trump’s remarks, but warns that Ukraine’s security and resources must be ensured to prevent Russia from physically seizing them. The minerals could potentially end up in Putin’s hands. The US is also interested in investing in Ukraine’s resources.
Zelenskyy’s October “victory plan” presented “strategic partners” including the United States with “a special agreement” to access uranium, titanium, lithium, and graphite reserves valued at billions of dollars, according to Ukraine.
Trump’s apparent adoption of this idea demonstrates Zelenskyy’s ability to appeal to the president’s propensity for making deals, according to Orysia Lutsevych, who leads the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, a think tank based in London.
Lutsevych stated, “Zelenskyy is aware of Trump’s preference for negotiating, and this strategy was to turn Ukraine into a strength rather than a weakness.” However, we still don’t know Trump’s approach. He speaks very little, and we only know what he says, but we do know some of it.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump’s remarks by saying that they were only “an offer to buy aid” and not “provide it on a free of charge basis.”
“Obviously, it is better not to provide it at all and help bring the conflict to an end,” Peskov continued.
While many Europeans continue to worry that Trump would give Putin the victory, Ukrainians themselves seem to have more faith in the U.S. president than their European Union colleagues. According to a December survey conducted by the Ukrainian nongovernmental organisation New Europe Centre, more than 44% of participants indicated they trusted Trump, which is higher than the majority of other European nations.
Taras Byk, a 41-year-old Kyiv-based consultant and civil activist, is among those who are keeping an optimistic attitude. A “win-win scenario for both Ukraine and the USA” would result from the rare-earth plan, he told NBC News.
“If this exchange results in Russia’s retreat, we would like to work together as equal partners; that’s a much better option than going to war,” he stated.