U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he wants Ukraine to supply the United States with rare earth minerals as a form of payment for financially supporting the country’s war efforts against Russia.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said Ukraine was willing, adding that he wants “equalization” from Ukraine for Washington’s support.
“We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths,” Trump said. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.”
It was not immediately clear if Trump was using the term “rare earths” to refer to all types of critical minerals or just to rare earths.
Rare earths are a group of 17 metals used to make magnets that turn power into motion for electric vehicles, cellphones and other electronics. There are no known substitutes.
The U.S. Geological Survey considers 50 minerals to be critical for the country’s economy and national defence, including several types of rare earths, nickel and lithium.
Ukraine contains large deposits of uranium, lithium and titanium, although none are considered to be among the world’s five biggest by volume and the U.S. has its own untapped reserves of those and other critical minerals.
The U.S. has only one operating rare earths mine and very little processing capacity, although several companies are working to develop projects in the country. China is the world’s largest producer of rare earths and many other critical minerals.
Several Ukrainian media outlets reported Monday that the so-called victory plan that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put together and shared with U.S. leaders last year included discussion of the sharing of such minerals with allies.
But the lands containing these resources must remain under Ukrainian control in order for that to happen and that is a point Kyiv has underlined, according to reports from the Kyiv Independent and RBC-Ukraine, both of which cited unnamed sources in Zelenskyy’s office.
Nearly 3 years of all-out war
Ukraine has been battling Russia’s all-out invasion for nearly three years and the U.S. has been a critical source of support for Kyiv’s war effort.
Trump’s return to the White House has raised questions about how U.S. policy on supporting Ukraine may shift under his watch, as compared to the administration of former U.S. president Joe Biden who was in office when Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
Biden’s administration had been one of Ukraine’s strongest backers in its fight with Russia.
Trump and members of his new administration have given mixed signals, at times, on future U.S. support for Ukraine.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a confirmation hearing that he would support bringing forward stronger sanctions on Russian oil — with the caveat being if that was what Trump wanted to happen. Oil is a key source of revenue for Moscow and its war effort against Ukraine.
Trump has threatened tariffs on Russia over the Ukraine war, while also stating Friday that his administration has been talking to Russia and that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could take “significant” action to bring the war to an end.
Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, told The Associated Press on Saturday that any negotiations between the U.S. and Russia but without his country were unacceptable.
“They may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone,” Zelenskyy said.
Petro Poroshenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker and the country’s former president, says the road to peace is to support Ukraine against the Russian aggression.
“If you want peace, you should motivate Putin to stop the war,” he told the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
“If you want to motivate Putin to stop the war, you should supply to Ukraine more weapons [and] you should introduce more sanctions,” among other measures, he said.
