President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky outlined proposals to open key Ukrainian mineral resources for U.S. investment. According to him, Ukraine is prepared to sign an agreement with the American side for joint access to vast deposits of rare earth and other critical minerals, which are essential for national security.
This was reported by Reuters.
Donald Trump has stated that he wants Ukraine to supply rare earth elements to the U.S. in exchange for financial support for Kyiv’s war effort against russia. Zelensky had previously put forward a similar idea in his "Victory Plan," presented last fall, including to Trump.
In a Friday interview with Reuters, the president noted, "Ukraine possesses some of the largest strategic resource reserves in Europe, and protecting Ukraine also means protecting these resources—resources that could strengthen our state and our partners or russia and its allies."
He added that less than 20% of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including about half of its rare earth metal deposits, are under russian occupation. Meanwhile, russian forces are using Soviet-era geological data to identify critical resources.
Zelensky also discussed talks with the White House about using Ukraine’s large underground gas storage facilities to store American liquefied natural gas.
"I know that the Trump administration is very interested in this... We are ready and want to have contracts for LNG supplies to Ukraine. And, of course, we will serve as a hub for all of Europe," he said.
The president emphasized that protecting Ukraine must be a priority in any peace settlement.
"We need to stop Putin and protect what we have—a very resource-rich Dnipro region in central Ukraine," he noted.
At the same time, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is not offering to "give away" its resources but instead seeks to establish a mutually beneficial partnership for joint access to strategic minerals such as uranium, titanium and manganese ores, rare earth elements, lithium, natural gas, and dozens of other resources critical to geopolitics.
"The Americans have helped the most, so they should benefit the most. They should have this priority, and they will get it. I would also like to discuss this with President Trump," Zelensky added.
Thus, both sides are demonstrating readiness for close cooperation in utilizing Ukraine’s strategic resources to ensure its security and economic growth—an issue of particular importance amid the war with russia.
Reference: Rare earth metals are a group of 17 elements used to produce magnets that convert energy into motion for electric vehicles, mobile phones, missile systems, and other electronics. There are currently no full substitutes for them.
Author: Danylo Pievchev