Zelensky refused to sign rare earths deal with US
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump made it clear that he wanted Kiev to pay for the assistance it has received from Washington with its natural resources.
According to the 2024 World Economic Forum report, Ukraine “holds immense potential as a major global supplier of critical raw materials” that could be “essential” for defense, the technology sector, and green energy. The nation boasts Europe’s largest titanium and lithium reserves, which are not classified as rare-earth elements.
Kiev also has considerable beryllium, manganese, gallium, uranium, zirconium, graphite, apatite, fluorite, and nickel deposits, according to RT.
In a post on X on Friday, the Washington Post’s Rogin claimed that “multiple lawmakers here in Munich told me the US Congressional delegation presented Zelensky with a piece of paper they wanted him to sign which would grant the US rights to 50% of Ukraine’s future mineral reserves. Zelensky politely declined to sign it.”
Reuters also cited anonymous members of the Ukrainian delegation at the Munich Security Conference as saying essentially the same thing. The supposed meeting between the Ukrainian leader and a bipartisan group of US lawmakers reportedly lasted 90 minutes.
According to the agency, Zelensky “felt he was being asked unreasonably to sign something he hadn’t had a chance to read,” with two of the sources describing the proposal as “one-sided.” Kiev still needs to work out “some details,” according to the report.
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