From the first day of the war, the US government has provided Ukraine with significant financial and military support. After nearly three years of active assistance, a decisive moment has arrived: the US president has announced his intention to recoup the costs by using Ukrainian resources, including minerals and rare earth metals.
On February 10, in an interview with Fox News, Donald Trump said:
“They may or may not sign an agreement. They may or may not become Russian at some point. But we have invested a lot of money in this, and I said, ‘I want it back.’ I told them straight up, ‘I want the equivalent of about $500 billion in rare earth resources.’ And they agreed in general.”
The next day, Volodymyr Zelensky responded in an interview with Reuters. According to the president, Ukraine does not intend to give away its mineral resources, but is open to partnerships for the joint development of such resources. Zelensky also announced negotiations with the White House on the storage of American liquefied natural gas on Ukrainian territory.
Why is there such interest in Ukraine’s natural resources?
America is a digital giant and ranks third in The Global Innovation Index. Every year, it increases its turnover in high-tech areas: from modernized electric cars and smartphones to robotics and rocket construction. С невероятными технологическими возможностями она все же по некоторым показателям уступает Китаю.
At present, China possesses nearly 38% of the world’s rare earth element reserves, 85-95% of which it supplies globally. Australia, Canada, Brazil, India, and Vietnam are also important suppliers of these elements.
In order to become independent from China, America needs new sources of supply for important resources for the production of modern technologies. Thanks to access to Ukrainian resources, Washington will have its hands untied, and its position in the global economy will change. Also, according to Donald Trump, such an exchange will guarantee security for the US.
“We want to make a deal with Ukraine where they’ll keep safe what we give them, like rare earth metals and other stuff.”
What natural resources are attractive to America?
In the summer of 2024, in one of the reports of the World Economic Forum, the European Commission highlighted the potential of more than 20 key minerals in Ukraine that could ensure the economic stability of NATO countries. These include uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite, nickel, and aluminum.
For example, Ukraine has the largest titanium reserves in Europe, accounting for approximately 7% of the world’s total reserves. Titanium ore is important for the production of medical and aerospace equipment, as well as robots and automated systems.
Ukraine is also the largest supplier of lithium in Europe, with estimated reserves of around 500,000 tons. This metal is used in the production of batteries. Ukraine ranks fifth in terms of graphite and gallium reserves. Graphite is an indispensable material for the production of batteries and nuclear reactors. Gallium, in turn, plays a key role in the manufacture of semiconductors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Is it possible to supply natural resources?
According to Forbes, the total value of mineral resources in Ukraine is estimated at approximately $15 trillion, with a total volume of 111 billion tons.
However, a significant portion of these natural resources is concentrated in the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Luhansk regions, which creates serious obstacles to the start of extraction. As of early 2025, more than 70% of deposits are located in territories that are partially or completely occupied by Russia.
For example, of the four potential lithium mines, two are located in occupied areas, as are six large titanium deposits. This significantly complicates access to resources that could become important strategic assets for Ukraine and its international partners, including NATO.