The Ucrainia’s president, Voldymyr Zelensky, told Reuters Which is, Donald Trump, to include US participation in the development of large rare land deposits and other essential minerals of Ukraine.
On February 3, Trump said he wanted to supply Ukraine’s rare land to the United States in exchange for financial support to the Kiev war against Russia.
Zelensky released the idea in his “Victory Plan,” presented to Kiev’s allies – among them, Trump – last year.
Read more:
Among other things, the plan proposes agreements with foreign partners for joint access to Ukraine’s strategic resources.
Rare lands are a group of 17 metals used to make magnets that turn energy into motion for electric vehicles, cell phones, missile systems and other electronics. There are no viable substitutes.
Continues after advertising
China, against whom Trump has threatened to establish a trade war, is the world’s largest producer of rare land and many other critical minerals. The US geological service considers that there are 50 critical minerals, including rare lands, nickel and lithium.
Ukraine has reservations of 22 of the 34 minerals identified by the European Union as critics, according to its Ministry of Economy. They are industrial and construction materials, iron, precious and non -ferrous metals and some elements of rare land. There is also an important amount of coal, but most are currently in busy territory and under Russian control.
Known as the European barn, Ukraine also has vast mineral resources. Some are essential for defense industries, high technology, aerospace and green energy.
Continues after advertising
According to the Institute of Geology, Ukraine has rare land such as Lantânio and Céria, used on TVs and lighting; neodymium, used in wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries; and Erbium and Itrian, whose applications vary from nuclear to lasers. The European Union also indicates that Ukraine has scandal reserves. There is confidentiality about data details.
Mining analysts and economists say Ukraine does not have rare land operational mines.
ZELENSKIY DISSE à Reuters that Ukraine has the largest titanium and uranium reserves in Europe.
Continues after advertising
According to the World Economic Forum, Ukraine is also a potential supplier of lithium, beryllium, manganese, gallium, zirconium, graphite, apatite, fluorite and nickel.
The geological service said Ukraine has one of the largest confirmed lithium reserves in Europe – about 500,000 tons – a vital element for batteries, ceramics and glass. Titanium reserves are located mainly in the northwest and downtown Ukraine, while lithium is in downtown, east and southeast.
Graphite reserves, a key component for electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors, represent 20% of global resources. Deposits are in the center and west of the territory.
Continues after advertising
What Ukrainian resources are under Kiev control?
The war has caused widespread damage throughout Ukraine, and Russia now occupies about one fifth of its territory.
Most Ukraine coal deposits, which fed their steel industry before the war, are concentrated in the East and were lost.
About 40% of Ukraine’s metal resources are now under Russian occupation, according to estimates of the Ukrainian Think-Tanks we built Ukraine and the National Institute for Strategic Studies, with data until the first half of 2024.
Continues after advertising
In January, Ukraine closed its only coke mine outside Pokrovsk, which is under the sights of Moscow forces.
Russia has occupied at least two lithium deposits during the war: one in Donetsk and one in the Zaporizehzia region in the Southeast. Kiev also controls deposits in central Kyrovohrad.
What are the opportunities and challenges for mining in Ukraine?
Although Ukraine has a highly qualified and relatively cheap workforce, as well as an already developed infrastructure, investors highlight a series of investment barriers, such as inefficient and complex regulatory processes and the difficulty of access to geological data and obtaining land.
Such projects would take years to be developed and demand a robust initial investment.
