Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Smichal confirmed the achievement of the deal between the rare land.
He said he was essentially achieved for minerals during two weeks of intensive negotiations with the US.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, Smihal said the preliminary agreement was providing for the creation of an “investment fund” to rebuild Ukraine.
Kiev and Washington will manage the Fund “on equal terms”, the prime minister added, stressing that “this agreement is directly linked to security guarantees” for Ukraine.
“Neither Ukraine President Volodimir Zelenski nor the Ukrainian government will examine or sign the agreement without security guarantees for Ukraine,” Smichal said.
Today the government is meeting for the text
According to him, one of the clauses of the preliminary agreement states that “the US government supports Ukraine’s efforts to ensure the security guarantees needed to build continuous peace”.
He said Ukraine wants these security guarantees to be based on President Volodimir Zelenski’s “peace plan” from last year, which provides for “NATO integration or other strong security guarantees” for Ukraine.
Smihal added that the Ukrainian government will later meet Wednesday to examine the text of the preliminary agreement.
What does Moscow say about the deal
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it was expecting “official announcements” to exploit Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
“At present there is no official announcement on the issue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“We heard it is said that Zelenski is going to go to Washington on Friday. There may be attempts to do something substantial during this visit, “he added. “If he goes (to sign) that agreement or something else, we will see it,” he said.
Ukraine critical minerals in numbers
As the Guardian reports, critical minerals are the metals and raw materials needed to produce high -tech technology products, especially those related to the transition to green energy, as well as electronics, artificial intelligence and weapons systems.
The global shift towards climate change and detoxification from fossil fuels such as cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel, which are essential for electric transportation and the manufacture of wind turbines. The same materials are also used in the production of mobile phones, artificial intelligence and weapons data centers, such as F-35 fighter aircraft.
As the global economy and technology are transformed, the value of critical minerals is increasing rapidly, and with it is intensifying geopolitical competition for access to them. In 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that the market for critical minerals for the energy transition reached 385 billion euros in 2022, doubling its value within five years. If countries fully implement their energy and climate commitments, demand is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2040.
Which minerals are considered critical?
The term “critical minerals” is not scientific but politician, and each country has its own list, depending on its economic and geopolitical goals.
In 2022, the US Geological Survey (USGS) published a list of 50 critical minerals, from aluminum to zirconium, which are considered important for national security, economy, renewable energy and infrastructure. Significant additions were male (for semiconductors), beryllium (for aerospace and defensive industries), cobalt, lithium and graphite (for batteries), indium (for touch screens) and telouros (for solar energy).
The US Energy Law requires the list to be informed every three years, so this year it will be revised, which can reveal new geopolitical priorities.
What are Rare Earths?
Rare Earth Elements (Rees) are a group of 17 critical minerals necessary for mobile phones, electric vehicles, rocket guidance systems and other industrial and energy applications.
Despite their name, rare lands are not so rare, but their extraction and processing are extremely difficult and aggravating to the environment.
This has led to a concentration of production in a few countries, mainly in China.
Rees include Europe (for nuclear reactors), inaccessible, gadolinium and practical (for magnets on mobile phones), as well as Olympus and laser (for laser).
What critical minerals does Ukraine have?
According to a 2022 article by the President of the Ukrainian Geologists’ Union, Hanna Liventseva, the country has about 5% of world minerals, despite being only 0.4% of the Earth’s surface.
Ukraine data, citing Reuters, shows that the country has stocks in 22 of the 34 critical minerals recorded by the EU, including rare earths such as latanum, series, neodyim, Erbio and hyp.
Prior to the war, Ukraine was a key titanium supplier, producing about 7% of world production in 2019. It also had stocks of 500,000 tonnes of lithium and 20% of global toner reserves, essential for nuclear stations.
However, with 20% of Ukrainian territory under Russian control, much of these stocks have been lost. According to Ukrainian think tanks, 40% of the country’s mining resources are under Russian occupation, while Russian troops control at least two of Ukraine’s lithium deposits in Donetsk and Zaporizia.
Why does Trump want Ukrainian critical minerals?
The answer is one: China.
China dominates the processing of critical minerals, with a 90% share of rare land. With Trump leading a trade war with China, US access to these minerals is in danger. In the world race to control critical minerals, whoever
