{"id":246758,"date":"2025-02-25T23:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T23:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/25\/whats-at-stake-in-ukraines-deal-with-trump\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T23:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T23:01:10","slug":"whats-at-stake-in-ukraines-deal-with-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/25\/whats-at-stake-in-ukraines-deal-with-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s at Stake in Ukraine\u2019s Deal With Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/newsgraphics\/images\/icons\/defaultPromoCrop.png?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"What\u2019s at Stake in Ukraine\u2019s Deal With Trump\" title=\"What\u2019s at Stake in Ukraine\u2019s Deal With Trump\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials in Ukraine and the Trump administration say they are close to a deal that would give the United States revenues from Ukraine\u2019s minerals and other natural resources, including titanium, lithium, oil, natural gas and rare earth elements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A draft agreement seen by The New York Times described the creation of a U.S.-controlled fund that receives revenue from Ukraine\u2019s natural resources. It did not offer any security guarantees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-772b7fb3\">What are Ukraine\u2019s natural resources?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ukraine, the largest country wholly within Europe, controls more than 100 major deposits of critical minerals, according to a study by the Kyiv School of Economics, along with modest oil and natural gas reserves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ukraine has deposits of 20 of the 50 minerals the U.S. Geological Survey lists as critical for America\u2019s economic development and defense, including:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"css-1le37cb ez3869y0\">\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Titanium <\/strong>is<strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"> <\/strong>used in construction, airplanes, orthopedic implants and as an additive in paint and cosmetics, including sunscreen, among many other things. Titanium mines in central Ukraine account for about 6 percent of global production, according to Ukrainian media.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Lithium <\/strong>is a crucial element in batteries, including those in electric vehicles, and in other industrial products, including some medications. Ukraine has a third of Europe\u2019s total reserves, although some sites are in war-contested areas. Before the war with Russia, Ukrainian officials suggested to Elon Musk that he invest in Ukrainian lithium mines.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Uranium <\/strong>is used in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons<strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">. <\/strong>Ukraine has the largest uranium reserves in Europe.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Rare earths <\/strong>are a group of more than a dozen metals, much less abundant than Titanium or Lithium, that are used in many high-tech sectors, including green energy, electronics and aerospace. Ukraine has substantial reserves that are mostly untapped, and it is unclear how expensive they would be to extract.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-6335c996\">What does Trump want?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump says he wants revenue from the minerals as repayment for military aid that the United States has provided to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ukraine could help break a Chinese near-monopoly on some rare earth metals needed for mobile phones, other electronics and possibly future technologies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s clear that Europe, Japan, and the United States are all dependent on China for rare earth elements,\u201d Serhiy Vyzhva, director of the Institute of Geology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Other ores, minerals and energy are less strategic but still valuable. Ukrainian oil and natural gas reserves could be a source of revenue for the U.S.-controlled fund envisioned in the agreement.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-3705eef7\">What does Ukraine want?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ukraine wants Mr. Trump\u2019s backing in the war, and in setting the terms of an eventual peace with Russia. How the minerals would actually be extracted has not been extensively discussed with the Trump administration, but developing those resources has been long-term goal for Ukraine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOur geological base is similar to that of Canada and South Africa, both of which have extensive mineral resources,\u201d said Mr. Vyzhva, the Ukrainian geologist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The country\u2019s most productive mines produce iron, titanium, manganese and zirconium, he said, adding that Ukraine is \u201chighly interested\u201d in investment, but its \u201cmain focus remains on ending the war.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-29cc419a\">What are the obstacles to a deal?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When Mr. Zelensky last fall introduced the idea of trading natural resources for military support, he told the Ukrainian Parliament the country\u2019s mineral wealth was worth \u201ctrillions\u201d of dollars. That bonanza would be available to \u201ceither Russia and its allies or Ukraine and the democratic world\u201d depending on who won the war, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The resources are valuable but experts say that Mr. Zelensky\u2019s estimate is exaggerated. Cumbersome bureaucracy and corruption has limited investment. Under a Soviet-era policy, for example, information about some reserves are classified as state secrets, preventing foreigners from even studying them, a Ukrainian business newspaper reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Ukrainian government\u2019s revenues last year from natural resources royalties were $1.1 billion, far less than the hundreds of billions of dollars Mr. Trump has said he is seeking from the agreement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The International Energy Agency reported in 2023 that lithium is now mined in sufficient quantities around the world to meet global demand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One lithium deposit and several rare earth deposits are in Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia. Some offshore natural gas deposits in the Black Sea are also inaccessible while fighting continues; some drilling platforms have become contested sea bases for both Russian and Ukrainian marines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">American and other international oil companies have also tried to do business in Ukraine before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Before Russia\u2019s military incursion in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Ukraine cut deals with Chevron and Shell to explore for shale gas, which the country possesses in abundance \u2014 though it has not been economically viable to extract. Shell\u2019s project ended with the Russian incursion, which occupied areas near the site of its project in the Donetsk region. Chevron\u2019s project was canceled because of geological challenges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/25\/world\/europe\/ukraine-trump-minerals-explain.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials in Ukraine and the Trump administration say they are close to a deal that would give the United States revenues from Ukraine\u2019s minerals and other natural resources, including titanium, lithium, oil, natural gas and rare earth elements. A draft agreement seen by The New York Times described the creation of a U.S.-controlled fund that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/newsgraphics\/images\/icons\/defaultPromoCrop.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[177505,2294,163575,2534,164578,6039,60845,191397,163262,180774,2341,52,1130,11626,34139,300,8774],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246758"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246758"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246760,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246758\/revisions\/246760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}