
Lithium mining. Image: Shutterstock
President Trump said on Monday that he wants to make a deal with Ukraine by which Kyiv would exchange its rare minerals with the United States for the supply of American aid, offering the clearest sign yet of his transactional approach to supporting the war-torn nation, according to the report.
“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,” Mr. Trump said from the Oval Office, where he was signing executive orders. “We want a guarantee.”
Ukraine is rich in rare earth minerals such as lithium, uranium and titanium, which are crucial for manufacturing a broad range of modern products including electric car motors and wind turbines.
Mr. Trump’s offer comes as his new government has halted foreign development aid worldwide, forcing many humanitarian organizations in Ukraine to suspend operations and leaving the Ukrainian government scrambling to secure alternative financing for critical programs, including support for its battered energy grid and war veterans.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said U.S. military assistance provided by the Biden administration had not been affected by the recent freeze on foreign aid. But Mr. Trump has long voiced reluctance to continue sending billions of dollars in weapons and other equipment to the beleaguered nation, arguing that it costs the U.S. too much.
In many ways, Mr. Trump’s offer to trade aid for rare earth minerals aligns with the transactional foreign policy strategy he has pursued since returning to office. He has been leveraging the U.S.’s economic power to pressure allies, including Colombia and Mexico, into agreeing to, or at least negotiating on, his demands.
By expressing interest in Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, Mr. Trump is also picking up on an offer that originally came from Mr. Zelensky himself. In recent months, as the Ukrainian president looked for ways to appeal to the incoming Trump administration, he has emphasized that helping defend Ukraine is in America’s economic interest since his country is rich in critical minerals that could boost U.S. industries.
Reacting MrMr. Trump’s statement, a top Ukrainian official said Monday night that Ukraine is ready to work with the U.S. on rare earth mineral deals, provided the U.S. offers sufficient security guarantees to prevent these resources from falling into Russian hands. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
Ukrainian authorities say the country holds deposits of more than 20 critical rare earth minerals, with some consulting and equity firms valuing them at several trillion dollars however, but experts caution that the true value is hard to estimate as many reserves remain inaccessible, in part because of the Russian occupation of parts of Ukraine.
Ukraine had planned to sign an agreement with the Biden administration late last year to cooperate on extracting and processing minerals. But the Ukrainian authorities postponed the signing of such a deal, in what officials on both sides said was a signal that Kyiv was waiting for Mr. Trump to take office to strike an agreement with him.
In December, a Ukrainian government delegation met with U.S. businessmen in Washington, presenting potential business deals that included acquiring production licenses for critical minerals, either directly or through partnerships with existing license holders, according to a government presentation seen by The New York Times.
But how quickly and effectively Ukraine can finalize these deals remains uncertain. At a conference in Kyiv last week, Ukrainian business leaders and lawmakers stressed that much exploration remains to be done to assess the true value of the country’s critical minerals. And administrative and legislative obstacles still hinder foreign investment in the sector.
What’s more, Russia’s advances on the battlefield have allowed Moscow’s troops to seize significant reserves of rare earth minerals in Ukraine, and they are rapidly approaching other reserves. Russian forces are currently less than seven miles from a major lithium reserve in Ukraine’s southeastern Donetsk region.
川普敦促用烏克蘭稀土礦物換取更多美國援助
川普總統週一表示,他希望與烏克蘭達成協議,基輔將與美國交換其稀有礦產,以換取美國的援助,這是他支持這個飽受戰爭蹂躪的國家的交易方針的最明確跡象。 。
「我們正在尋求與烏克蘭達成協議,他們將確保我們向他們提供的稀土和其他東西,」川普在橢圓形辦公室簽署行政命令時說道。 “我們想要一個保證。”
烏克蘭富含鋰、鈾和鈦等稀土礦物,這些礦物對於製造電動車引擎和風力渦輪機等各種現代產品至關重要。
川普提出這項提議之際,他的新政府已經停止了全球範圍內的外國發展援助,迫使烏克蘭的許多人道主義組織暫停運作,並使烏克蘭政府爭先恐後地為關鍵項目尋求替代融資,包括為其遭受重創的能源網路和退伍軍人提供支援。
澤倫斯基總統表示,拜登政府提供的美國軍事援助並未受到近期對外援助凍結的影響。 但川普長期以來一直表示不願繼續向這個陷入困境的國家運送數十億美元的武器和其他設備,認為這會讓美國付出太多代價。
在許多方面,川普提出的稀土礦產貿易援助與他自重返辦公室以來奉行的交易性外交政策戰略是一致的。 他一直在利用美國的經濟實力向包括哥倫比亞和墨西哥在內的盟友施壓,要求其同意或至少就他的要求進行談判。
透過表達對烏克蘭稀土礦的興趣,川普也接受了澤倫斯基本人最初提出的提議。 近幾個月來,當烏克蘭總統尋找方法吸引即將上任的川普政府時,他強調幫助保衛烏克蘭符合美國的經濟利益,因為烏克蘭富含可以促進美國工業發展的關鍵礦產。
反應 先生 先生 根據川普的聲明,烏克蘭一名高級官員週一晚間表示,烏克蘭準備與美國就稀土礦產交易進行合作,前提是美國提供足夠的安全保證,防止這些資源落入俄羅斯手中。 他因討論敏感問題而不願透露姓名。
烏克蘭當局表示,該國擁有20 多種重要的稀土礦藏,但一些諮詢和股權公司對這些礦藏的估價高達數萬億美元,但專家警告說,由於許多儲量仍然無法開採,其真實價值很難估計。
烏克蘭原計劃去年底與拜登政府簽署協議,在礦物開採和加工方面合作。 但烏克蘭當局推遲了此類協議的簽署,雙方官員都表示,這是基輔正在等待川普上台與他達成協議的訊號。
根據《紐約時報》看到的政府介紹,去年12 月,烏克蘭政府代表團在華盛頓會見了美國商人,提出了潛在的商業交易,其中包括直接或透過與現有許可證持有者合作獲得關鍵礦產的生產許可證。
但烏克蘭能夠多快、多有效地完成這些協議仍不確定。 在上週於基輔舉行的一次會議上,烏克蘭商界領袖和立法者強調,仍有大量勘探工作要做,以評估該國關鍵礦產的真正價值。 行政和立法障礙仍然阻礙該行業的外國投資。
更重要的是,俄羅斯在戰場上的進展使莫斯科軍隊在烏克蘭奪取了大量稀土礦儲量,並且正在迅速逼近其他儲量。 俄羅斯軍隊目前距離烏克蘭東南部頓內茨克地區的主要鋰礦藏不到七英里。
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