“Let's make a deal,“ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters, offering his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump a mineral partnership and seeking guarantees for his country's security.
While giving the interview, Zelensky looked at a once-secret map of vast deposits of rare earth elements and other key minerals in Ukraine.
The U.S. president, whose administration has been pushing for a quick end to Ukraine's war with Russia, said on Monday that he wants Ukraine to supply the United States with rare earths and other minerals in exchange for financial support for its military effort.
“If we're talking about a deal, then let's make a deal, we're all for it,” Zelensky said, stressed Ukraine's need for security guarantees from its allies as part of any agreement.
Ukraine floated the idea of opening its valuable mineral deposits to investment by allies last fall, when Zelensky unveiled his "Plan for Victory", which sought to put itself in the strongest position for potential negotiations and force Moscow to the negotiating table.
Now, Zelensky has told Reuters that less than 20% of Ukraine's mineral resources, including about half of its rare earth deposits, are under Russian occupation.
Rare earths are important for the production of high-performance magnets, electric motors and electronics. Zelensky said Moscow could offer these resources to its allies North Korea and Iran, which are sworn enemies of the United States.
"We must stop Putin and protect what we have - the very rich Dnipropetrovsk region, in central Ukraine“, he said.
Russian troops have been building up in the east of the country for months, pouring huge resources into a relentless offensive, while Kiev's much smaller army struggles to cope with a shortage of soldiers and worries about future arms supplies from abroad, Reuters notes.
A map unfurled by Zelensky during the interview, given in the heavily guarded presidential office in Kiev, shows numerous mineral deposits, including a wide swath of land in the east of the country marked as containing rare earth elements. About half of it appears to be on the Russian side of the current front line.
Zelensky said Ukraine has the largest reserves of titanium in Europe, which is essential for the aviation and space industries, and of uranium used for nuclear energy and weapons.
Many of the titanium deposits are marked on the map in northwestern Ukraine, far from the fighting.
Ukraine is quickly adapting its foreign policy approach in line with the transactional worldview of the new occupant of the White House, Ukraine's most important ally, the agency commented.
But Zelensky stressed in the interview that Kiev is not offering "to make its resources available, but rather a mutually beneficial partnership for their joint development: "The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should gain the most. And they should have this priority, and they will have it. I would like to talk about this with President Trump as well.”
He said Russia knows in detail where Ukraine’s critical resources are located based on Soviet-era geological surveys.
In addition, Zelensky said Kiev and the White House had discussed the idea of using Ukraine’s vast underground gas storage facilities to store U.S. liquefied natural gas.
“I know the Trump administration is very interested in this... We are ready and want to have contracts for liquefied natural gas supplies to Ukraine. And of course, we will be a hub for the whole of Europe,” he said.
The interview was given by Zelensky to Reuters just days before the start of the Munich Security Conference, which will be held from February 14 to 16 and will be attended by officials from dozens of Western countries. Zelensky said he planned to attend the forum, where Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, is also expected to arrive.
The Ukrainian leader said it was essential to meet Trump in person before the US president meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, "otherwise it will look like a dialogue about Ukraine without Ukraine."
Earlier today, Trump said he expects to speak with Zelensky next week. Zelensky said his personal priority would be to emphasize Ukraine's need for security guarantees as part of any deal to prevent another Russian incursion in the future.
Overall, however, it is vital that the West define a comprehensive strategy before starting talks with Moscow, the Ukrainian leader said.
He said there were already regular contacts between his team and Kellogg and Trump's national security adviser, Michael Walz.
"Every day we have contacts, we talk about general things, but the specifics will come a little later," he said.
Trump's push for peace comes at a time when advancing Russian forces threaten Ukraine's main logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
On the battlefield, Zelensky confirmed for the first time that his troops had launched a new offensive on Thursday, advancing 2.5 km (1.6 miles) into Russian territory. Kursk region.
Russia reported a Ukrainian attack in the area the same day, but said it had been repelled.
Zelensky said thousands of North Korean soldiers fighting on the Russian side against Kiev forces had now returned to active combat against Kiev forces in the Kursk region after a several-week hiatus.
Next week, the government plans to launch lucrative recruitment contracts for the army to attract young men aged 18-24 - below the draft age - to the armed forces, easing a shortage of military personnel, Reuters reported. In an interview with the agency, Zelensky declined to say how many men are expected to sign the contracts.