Trump is blackmailing Ukraine: These are the raw materials that are now the focus of the peace plan

Merkur Trump is blackmailing Ukraine: These are the raw materials that are now the focus of the peace plan Lars-Eric Nievelstein • 2 hours • 3 minutes reading time "It's a colonial agreement" The USA wants to secure large parts of Ukraine's resources. Russia is standing in the way. Selenskyj is demanding security guarantees. Kiev/Washington - Ukraine, of all places, is increasingly becoming the scene of a new war, namely one over important resources. At the beginning of February, for example, US President Donald Trump expressed interest in Ukrainian mineral resources. "They have great rare earths," Trump said. He announced that he wanted to make a "deal." Now Kiev has a proposal. Volodymyr Selenskyj, President of Ukraine, was not convinced by this - Trump, on the other hand, said that Kiev had "basically agreed." USA wants to buy rare raw materials from Ukraine - and presents a deal The administration under US President Donald Trump had presented Ukraine with a deal that would give the USA ownership of 50 percent of all rare earths in Ukrainian soil. Trump had also shown himself open to stationing US troops within the attacked country to protect these resources. However, this would require a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The USA would not pay directly for these minerals. Instead, the raw materials would act as payment for the military aid provided since 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not sign a corresponding proposal submitted by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv. He lacked the necessary security guarantees, reported the US news channel NBC News. "It is very important to me that there is a connection between security guarantees and a form of investment," said Zelensky about this deal, but without giving any details of the contract. In Ukraine's victory plan, Zelensky had already planned to share Ukraine's important resources with Western leaders as soon as the war ended. In the run-up to the war, Trump had repeatedly threatened to stop aid to Ukraine - given that Ukraine would lose its ability to defend itself without US military aid, experts are already fearing a dictated peace. Ukraine as a treasure trove of resources - Russia is stealing rare raw materials on a large scale There are several fundamental problems with Ukraine's resources. Yes, Ukraine is considered a treasure trove of raw materials - although it only makes up 0.4 percent of the earth's surface, it has plenty of rare earths, around 20 different critical raw materials and metals such as titanium (important for the aviation and defense industry) and lithium (which plays a crucial role in electromobility, for example). In addition, the raw materials cerium, yttrium (an additive for alloys) and neodymium (used to make magnets) are found in Ukraine's soil. The German Bundestag discussed the importance of these resource deposits years ago. According to a study, there are hundreds of deposits of metal ores containing rare earths in Ukraine - many of which are still unexplored and undeveloped. Between the Sea of ​​Azov region and the Mazurivske deposits (both of which are in eastern Ukraine) there are "unique reserves" and "large predicted deposits". One big problem: During the Soviet era and long after, the former Soviet nation did not really explore many of these deposits. The NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence assumes that the country is actively exploiting just 15 percent of the approximately 20,000 available natural deposits. A second big problem: the deposits that have been explored and are already being exploited are largely in the area occupied by Russia. Ukraine includes rare earths in victory plan - but insists on security guarantees Many of the resources mentioned are - at least according to projections - set to play an important role on the world markets in the course of the energy transition. A few years ago, the European Union even presented its own legislation on the subject: The Critical Raw Materials Act outlines which raw materials the EU considers particularly critical and, in an effort to break away from the world market leader China, stipulates a diversification of suppliers. Ukraine could hope that the deal will lead to the USA removing the occupiers from the country in order to protect its newly purchased resources. In its current form, however, the US deal is met with little understanding, especially on the Ukrainian side. "It is a colonial agreement that Zelensky cannot sign," the AP news agency quoted a former Ukrainian official who did not want to be named as saying. In his view, the USA had more in mind the commercial aspects of a partnership with Ukraine.