There are divergent opinions in Ukraine on whether the country should give the US its natural resources in order not to stop military aid to Kiev, writes the German newspaper Tagesspiegel.
The discussion erupted after the new US President Donald Trump demanded valuable raw materials from Ukraine in exchange for further US aid to help the country defend itself from the Russian aggressor.
US President Trump has set his sights on Ukraine's natural resources, writes Tagesspiegel. He expressed interest in rare earth elements from Ukraine in exchange for military aid. The United States is Ukraine's most important supporter in the fight against Russia's aggressive war, which has been going on for almost three years. Before taking office, Trump spoke out against billions in aid to Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled his approval of American investment in Ukraine's rare earth metals business. “We are open to developing this with our partners who help us defend our country and repel the enemy. This is fair,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky is open to the idea of an agreement with Ukraine’s partners on the exploitation of some strategic metals, but not everyone in Ukraine agrees with this.
Vitaly Kulik, director of the Center for the Study of Civil Society in Ukraine, believes that the potential deal could violate the country’s constitution: “When it comes to property, we can refer to the Ukrainian constitution, which states that natural resources belong to the Ukrainian people and only the people can change this situation, not the government or the president.”
Ukrainian politician and journalist Igor Vladimirovich Mosiychuk, a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, asked: “Who is Zelensky to conclude contracts and manage property that belongs to the Ukrainian people?” people?“. Mosiychuk also points out that the majority of the deposits are located in Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia.
There are also opinions in favor of the deal. Viktor Taran, director of the Center for Political Research and Analysis in Ukraine, told Tagesspiegel that an agreement with the United States would guarantee Ukraine's security. It would allow for American investment, create jobs and reduce the risk of future Russian aggression.
Rare earth elements are crucial for high-tech and defense industries, and Ukraine has reserves of neodymium and dysprosium. This makes the country a potential partner for the United States in competition with China, which controls most of the world's supply of these materials.
„As a result, Ukraine will become a strategic partner that supplies the United States with rare earth elements and thus will receive protection from new Russian aggression,“ said analyst Viktor Taran.
It is estimated that there are about 20,000 mineral deposits in Ukraine of 116 types of minerals, including titanium and lithium. Some of the raw materials, such as dysprosium and praseodymium, are used in the military industry, for example, for the production of missiles, aircraft engines and air defense systems. Titanium ore is essential for the aerospace, medical, automotive and shipping industries.
Taran believes that the agreement will create a win-win situation that will benefit both sides: the United States will gain access to important resources, and Ukraine will gain investment and security. As a result, Ukraine will become a strategic partner.
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has been going on for 3 years. The new US President Trump has promised to quickly stop it when he takes power in the White House, but it is still unclear how he will do it. Preliminary talks are underway for negotiations with Putin, but there are still no concrete details. Moscow continues to demand Ukraine's surrender, while Zelensky has stated that Ukraine will never recognize the occupied territories as part of the Russian Federation.