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US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz recently criticised Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky for not negotiating peace. Waltz said that President Donald Trump wants to bring this war to an end but Zelensky doesn’t seem willing to take this opportunity that the US has offered.
The war of words between President Trump and President Zelensky over the Russia-Ukraine conflict has escalated in recent times with Trump accusing Zelenskyy of taking US money and embroiling the country in an endless conflict. Later on, Zelenskyy said that Trump ‘unfortunately lives in disinformation space’.
The war of words between the two Presidents intensified after Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin last week and agreed to hold talks with Moscow without the involvement of Kyiv and Europe.
On the other hand, as per reports of some international media like CNN, Zelensky’s refusal to sign away nearly half of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals for some future guarantees is one of the reasons that has made President Trump hostile towards the Ukrainian President.
Let’s have a look into the strategic value of Ukraine's rare earth minerals and more.
Strategic Value of Ukraine's Rare Earth Minerals
Suppose media reports are anything to go by. In that case, Ukraine possesses approximately 5% of global rare earth mineral reserves, including critical elements like tantalum, beryllium, and niobium essential for aerospace, defense, and electronics industries. These largely untapped deposits are estimated at 2.6 billion tons with potential value reaching $11.5 trillion.
The US proposal seeks 50% ownership of these resources through American companies, framed by Trump officials as compensation for $175 billion in prior aid. However, Ukrainian officials emphasize that 60% of known deposits lie near active combat zones, complicating extraction efforts.
Geopolitical Implications of Resource Negotiations
The proposed agreement has exposed tensions between immediate economic demands and long-term security needs. While US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz argues binding economic ties would deter future Russian aggression, Ukrainian lawmakers demand explicit security guarantees equivalent to NATO Article 5 protections.
European officials criticize the deal as exploitative, with French President Macron convening emergency talks to counter perceived US-Russia bilateral negotiations. It is also claimed that China's dominance in rare earth processing (controlling 85% of global refining capacity) adds urgency to US efforts to diversify supply chains.
