What rare metals does Ukraine have and why does Trump need them?

^{Photo: Getty Images}
Ukraine has vast deposits of rare earth minerals, but many of them are located in areas occupied by Russian forces. According to Trump, Ukraine should provide these resources in order for the US leadership to support them in their war against Russia.

“I told Ukraine that I wanted to get about $500 billion worth of rare earths, and they basically agreed to it,” Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier on February 10.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initially dismissed the offer as "not serious" and said he would "not sell the country". But as US pressure on Kiev has increased in recent weeks, Zelensky said on February 26 that a deal was being discussed and that it was essential for continued US aid.

Trump's offer shows how important Ukraine's minerals are to the US. But why does the US need them and what can they provide? The BBC has sought answers to these questions.


^{The Belokuzminovka chalk rocks in Donetsk and Luhansk regions are home to some of the most valuable minerals in Ukraine.}
What are rare earth metals and why are they important?

Rare earth metals are a general term for 17 chemically similar elements that are widely used in high-tech manufacturing and industry. They are essential in the production of smartphones, computers, medical devices, and military technology.

Rare earth metals include scandium (Sc), yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).

These metals are called "rare" because, although they are distributed throughout the Earth, they are difficult to find in their pure form, and are often found in combination with radioactive elements (such as thorium and uranium). Therefore, their extraction requires high-tech and environmentally hazardous toxic chemicals. This makes the extraction process complex and expensive.

What minerals are found in Ukraine?

Of the 30 substances designated by the European Union as "critical raw materials", 21 are located in Ukraine, which makes up about 5% of the total world reserves.

Deposits of these elements are located mainly in the southern parts of the Ukrainian crystal massif, mainly under the Sea of ​​Azov. Most of these territories are currently occupied by Russia, but there are also promising projects for exploration and extraction on the territory of Ukraine. Among them are deposits in the Middle Buzhzhye, as well as in the Kiev, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr regions.

Experts note that although hundreds of promising geological objects have been identified in Ukraine, only some of them can be considered suitable for production as mines. This process depends on their economic viability.

“The estimates that have been published are still very speculative,” says Adam Webb, head of battery raw materials at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. “There is still a lot of work to be done to prove that these deposits are real economic reserves.”

As for other important mineral deposits in Ukraine, Forbes Ukraine reports that 70 percent of them are located in the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Luhansk regions. Thus, most of the deposits are currently in the territories occupied by Russia.

In addition to rare earth minerals, Ukraine also has lithium reserves. According to the Ukrainian government, the country has lithium reserves of about 450,000 tons.


^{Lithium is an important mineral that can be extracted from zinnwaldite.}
So far, lithium mining has not begun in Ukraine, but it is planned to launch this process in the future.

Currently, Russia controls at least two lithium deposits: the Shevchenkovske deposits in the Donetsk region and the Kruta Balka deposits in the Berdyansk district.

The lithium deposits located in the Kirovograd region remain under Ukrainian control for the time being.

Why does Trump want these minerals?

The US interest in establishing control over the extraction of rare earth metals and, possibly, other strategic minerals is largely explained by competition with China.

In recent decades, China has become the world leader in the extraction and processing of rare earth minerals. Its share is 60-70 percent of global production and almost 90 percent of processing capacity.

The degree of dependence of the United States on China in this matter is likely to be of serious concern to the Trump administration - both from a national security point of view and from an economic one. Because these minerals are essential raw materials for the production of modern technologies, including electric cars and military equipment.

^{The Tesla Megapack energy storage system factory in Shanghai, China, is the first factory to produce battery cells outside the United States.}
Trump's "paradox"

BBC World Service correspondent Singh Hadka made an interesting observation on this subject:

"At first glance, it seems like a paradox. On the one hand, Trump has abandoned the policy of renewable energy sources and ordered the expansion of fossil fuel production. But at the same time, it wants to acquire strategic minerals that are critically important for the transition to clean energy.

But these minerals are needed not only for green energy, but also for building consumer electronics, military and navigation equipment, as well as artificial intelligence data centers.

Trump previously announced a plan to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States. This creates a huge demand for strategic minerals such as copper, silicon, palladium and rare earth elements.

Meanwhile, supplies of these essential minerals are dwindling, slowing down global clean energy development.

^{Visitors browse the stands of rare earth permanent magnets and insoluble metals at the ninth China Advanced Materials Industry Expo 2024 in Qingdao, Shandong Province.}
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, China has been dominating the strategic minerals market for decades, improving its processing technology and expertise. Today, China controls 100 percent of the world's natural graphite and dysprosium supplies, 70 percent of cobalt, and 60 percent of lithium and manganese.

Beijing maintains a strategic advantage in the global market by firmly controlling large deposits in Africa, Asia, and South America.

“To counter China’s growing influence over global supply chains, the United States must secure critical and strategic minerals,” the House Armed Services Committee said during the Biden administration.

Indeed, the Trump administration sees Ukraine and Greenland as areas where it can use innovative methods to replenish its supply chain. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”