What minerals does Ukraine have and what does the US want?

In exchange for ongoing military assistance, Ukraine is reportedly about to sign an agreement that would grant the US access to its rare earth minerals and other natural resources. The potentially $1 trillion (£791bn) deal will allow US taxpayers to “get their money back” for three years of supplying weapons against Russia, President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday at the Oval Office.

“I hear that he is coming on Friday. Certainly, it’s okay with me if he would like to. And he would like to sign it together with me, and I understand that’s a big deal, a very big deal.”. “We’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars on Russia and Ukraine fighting a war that should have never, ever happened.”.

When asked what Kyiv would receive in exchange, Mr Trump mentioned “military equipment and the right to fight on”, as well as $350bn (£276bn) in aid that he has stated has already been given. The development coincides with Ukraine's efforts to mend fences with the Trump administration, which has been strained by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s exclusion from war-ending talks with Moscow.

Mr Trump's verbal assaults on Mr Zelensky, and his talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin, have also sparked worries in Kyiv and other European capitals that he is leaning towards ending the war quickly on terms that benefit Moscow. Last week, Mr Trump accused Mr Zelensky of being a “dictator” for postponing elections after Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022 and of ignoring peace attempts in order to keep the “gravy train” of US money rolling.

But what minerals does Ukraine have and what does the US want?. Ukraine has a number of “critical” minerals, including copper, nickel, lithium, and titanium, and these are crucial for their use in defence systems, technological manufacturing, and green energy.

It is also thought that Ukraine contains 500,000 tonnes of lithium, which is used to create batteries, more than any other European nation. Other raw materials in good supply include coal, iron ore, and manganese. Up to 40 per cent of Ukraine's metallic resources are currently found in Russian-occupied areas, such as the Donbas and adjoining eastern regions.

This includes Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, two of Ukraine's lithium reserves, which are currently governed by Russia. President Trump appears to have his eye on these rare earth elements as he called the pact with Ukraine a “deal on rare earths” on Tuesday. However, he hasn’t been explicit about what minerals he wants.