Summary
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed willingness to strike a deal with Donald Trump, offering U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for resumed military aid.
Trump, who had paused aid, conditioned further support on securing Ukraine’s mineral resources, including uranium, titanium, lithium, and graphite.
This aligns with Ukraine’s “Victory Plan” to leverage its natural resources for economic stability.
The proposed deal is expected to dominate talks when Zelensky and Trump meet next week, as Trump aims to end the war within six months.
Because the mining takes capital investment. The US having continuous resource extraction involvement means that if Russia attacks, the US would want to protect that investment.