Trump Wants to Extract Minerals in Ukraine in Exchange for US Financial Aid

Donald Trump said Washington should get access to Ukraine's natural resources as compensation for the multi-billion dollar aid the US is providing it in the war with Russia. Meanwhile, US diplomats continue to work on a plan to end the war. However, there is still no information on specific proposals from the new White House administration, writes Air force analyzing open sources.

Photo: Antoine2k | Dreamstime.com

The New York Post recently reported that Trump allegedly spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. However, it remains unclear whether they spoke before or after his inauguration.

Trump has said he wants access to Ukraine's mineral wealth in exchange for military aid, but he has made it clear that the standoff between Ukraine and Russia could end in victory for either side, and he does not know whether a peace deal will be reached.

On the subject: Trump talks about his conversations with Putin and plans to end the war in Ukraine

"They may or may not agree. They may or may not be in Russia someday," Trump said of Ukraine. "But we're going to have all this money there, and I want it back."

According to Trump, Ukrainian “territory has tremendous value in terms of rare earth metals, in terms of oil and gas.” “I want our money to be safe because we are spending hundreds of billions of dollars,” Trump noted.

At the same time, the American leader named the amount of the proposed deal between Ukraine and the United States on access to natural resources at $500 billion, to which Ukrainian officials, according to him, “essentially agreed.”

The New York Post publication cited the figure of $500 million, which is an order of magnitude less. However, it is possible that someone (either the publication's journalist or Trump himself) simply mixed up the numeral.

According to the State Department, during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States has provided Ukraine with approximately $69,2 billion in military aid.

At the same time, the authoritative American analytical Council on Foreign Relations estimates the total volume of American aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war at $175 billion.

How did Zelensky react?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the proposal for access to Ukrainian natural resources. He stated that he is ready to cooperate with the United States on this issue.

According to Zelensky, Ukrainian natural resources were among other things mentioned in the so-called victory plan, which Kyiv presented to Trump and the administration of the previous president, Joe Biden, at the end of last year.

At the same time, Zelensky stated that Ukraine expects the United States to invest in Ukrainian deposits, and the country is ready to provide American companies with access to them.

"I told him: 'This is a very rich land, and we have minerals. This does not mean that we will give it to anyone. Even to strategic partners. That is, invest money, please, give us your companies, let them come. Let's develop it together, make money.'

Zelensky stressed that many Ukrainian minerals are of great value in terms of military technology. Therefore, it is important that Western countries receive them, and not Russia, which, according to the Ukrainian president, could use them for attack.

Zelensky also told the Guardian that countries that help defend Ukraine, including the US, should be awarded contracts to help rebuild it after the war.

"Those who help us save Ukraine will have the opportunity to restore it - their companies together with Ukrainian companies," the Ukrainian president said. "We are ready to discuss all these issues in detail."

What are rare earth elements and why does Trump need them?

Rare earth elements are a group of 17 metals that are used in the production of electronics and electric motors. Despite their name, these metals are widespread, but it is quite difficult to find a concentration of them in one place and set up mass production that can pay for itself.

However, Trump may have had in mind not only these specific substances, but critical minerals in general, that is, minerals that are of great importance to the main branches of modern industry.

Ukraine has large reserves of uranium, lithium, and titanium, but they are not among the world's largest. The United States has its own reserves of these and other critical minerals.

Zelensky included in his “Victory Plan” a proposal to share Ukraine’s natural resources.

Moreover, as both Zelensky and Western observers point out, a significant portion of Ukraine's natural resources are located in territories occupied by Russian troops. Therefore, the prospects for their development remain fundamentally uncertain.

During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized the allocation of American funds to Ukraine.

What is known about Washington's peace plan

Trump is talking about Ukrainian minerals as his administration officials prepare for talks with Ukraine, including at the Munich Security Conference, which opens Feb. 14.

Trump's special representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, may present part of the US peace plan there. After his visit to Munich, Kellogg is expected in Kyiv.

Shortly after the election, Trump called on Putin to stop the fighting and threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if he did not.

Meanwhile, Zelensky said that part of the future peace agreements could be an exchange of territories: Ukraine would return the captured areas of the Kursk region, and Russia would return the occupied Ukrainian lands.

"We will exchange one territory for another," Zelensky said, but added that he does not yet know which areas occupied by Russia he will ask for in exchange: "I don't know, we'll see. But all our territories are important, there are no priorities here."

There is no reliable information about the content of Kellogg's new plan, but the following versions appear in the press:

• The Daily Telegraph reports that the talks could involve continued military aid to Ukraine in exchange for access to rare earth resources. (President Zelensky, as has already been said, supports this.)
• CNN writes that Ukraine could receive more military aid if there is a ceasefire and peace talks begin. After that, according to the reports, European peacekeepers could appear on the front lines. (Zelensky is currently opposed to a temporary ceasefire. He argues that it would allow Russia to better prepare for an offensive and would not provide security guarantees.)
• Kellogg has supported holding presidential elections in Ukraine during the ceasefire. CNN believes that the US could be preparing the ground for Zelensky to step down as president, in order to “sweeten the deal and bring the Kremlin into the negotiations.” (In an interview with ITV on February 9, Zelensky was quite categorical against holding elections before the war ends on a permanent basis, saying that it would destroy the Ukrainian army and strengthen Russia’s position.)
• As noted by the authors of publications in Western media, one of the main obstacles to peace remains the position of Russia, which does not yet see any reason to stop military actions.

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