The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz considered that the resources coveted by the new tenant of the White House should be used “to finance everything that will be necessary after the war”. The Kremlin has spoken of American “purchase of aid”.
Donald Trump’s proposal, eager to link future American assistance to Ukraine to deliveries of raw materials, in particular “rare” metals, criticism for many branches of modern industry, paradoxically gathered in criticism of indirect opponents , Berlin and Moscow, while Kyiv has for the moment moved into silence, no doubt, not wanting to offend the new American president.
Donald Trump said on Monday that he wanted to conclude an agreement with Ukraine in order to obtain access to the rare land of the country as a condition for the continuation of the United States support for his war against Russia.
Addressing journalists in the oval office, the American leader complained that the United States had sent more military and economic aid to Ukraine than to his European partners, adding: “We are looking for to Conclude an agreement with Ukraine so that it secures what we give it with its rare earths and other things. ”
Trump suggested that the Ukrainian government had told him that he would be ready to conclude an agreement to allow the United States to access the essential elements for the modern high-tech economy.
“I want to have the safety of rare earths,” added Trump. “We invest hundreds of billions of dollars. They have excellent rare land. I want the safety of rare earths, and they are ready to do so. ”
Trump, who had already declared that he would quickly end the war, said that discussions were underway to end the conflict.
“We have made a lot of progress in Russia and Ukraine,” said Trump. “We will see what will happen. We are going to end this ridiculous war ”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Associated Press on Saturday that any negotiation between the United States and Russia without his country was unacceptable.
“They can have their own relationships, but talking about Ukraine without us is dangerous for everyone,” said Zelensky.
He said that his team had been in contact with the Trump administration, but that these discussions were at a “general level” and that he thought that meetings in person would soon take place to develop more detailed agreements.
“We have to work more on this subject,” said Zelensky.
Scholz and Peskov united in rejection
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized Trump’s words on Monday evening, after an informal EU summit on the defense held in Brussels.
“These resources in the country should have been used to finance everything that will be necessary after the war,” said Scholz, quoted by Reuters. According to him, “it would be very selfish and self -centered” to use the money received today to finance support for defense “.
Scholz stressed that Ukraine will need a strong army in the future, as well as funds for the reconstruction of the country. “These are important tasks if we consider the enormous destruction that takes place in Ukraine. This is why I think it would be preferable for Ukraine’s resources to be used for a good future, “added the German Chancellor.
For his part, the spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin called Trump’s proposal for “assistance purchase”.
According to Dmitri Peskov, “this is a offer to buy aid. It is not a question of continuing to provide it for free, but of providing it on a commercial basis ”.
The fall of his remarks, however, was inspired by the traditional guideline of the aggressor: “It would be preferable not to provide help at all and thus contribute to the end of this conflict”.
In the absence of an official Kyiv reaction, the Ukrainian media claim that the Zelensky team has already been in talks with Trump about the granting of access to rare land deposits.
According to the TV channel “Suspilne” which quotes a source in the office of the Ukrainian president, after the presentation of the “victory plan” in the fall of 2024, the Financial Times wrote that certain points of the document were “posed” for the Trump’s potential victory in the election, in particular, it was the extraction of rare land metals. Senator Lindsey Graham may have suggested this idea to the president’s office.
Previously, Mr. Graham said that Ukraine was a “gold mine” with $ 12,000 billion in crucial mineral resources that American companies need and that the West “cannot afford to lose” in ” yielding them to Mr. Putin.
The source of Suspilne within the administration of Zelensky stressed that cooperation on key natural resources is a matter of security.
“In order to guarantee the use of these resources in rare land, it is necessary to ensure that the Russians do not occupy the land containing these resources,” said the interlocutor of this Ukrainian public television channel.
In 2023, Forbes.ua estimated the value of Ukraine mineral resources at 14.8 billions of dollars.
At the same time, more than 70 % of the total amount comes from only three regions: the Donetsk and Louhansk regions (which are partially occupied and illegally annexed by Russia), as well as the Dnipro region.
The American Geological Institute (US Geological Survey) considers that 50 minerals are essential to the country’s economy and national defense, including several types of rare land, nickel and lithium.
According to Bloomberg, China represents around 80 % of American imports of rare land metals, which are necessary for the production of various goods, from smartphones to fighter planes.