Putin Tries to Undercut Zelensky Deal by Offering U.S. Minerals from Conquered Ukraine

The timing of the meeting coincides with President Donald Trump negotiating an agreement with Ukraine to develop its rare-earth and other critical mineral industry. President Trump has described the potential deal as a way for Washington get a return on its investment in Ukraine’s defense against the three-year-old Russian invasion of the country, which has cost American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed some hesitation in public to the terms of such an agreement, his government officials announced on Monday that they were almost finished hashing out the details of an mineral development deal with America and the new terms were “very constructive” for both sides.

Putin abruptly welcoming American investment in the Russian mineral industry also coincided with a barrage of articles in Russian media downplaying Ukraine’s mineral wealth and arguing that Russia’s rare-earth industry is far more lucrative, an apparent attempt to undermine the Trump-Zelensky rare-earth agreement.

Rare-earth minerals are a group of mostly naturally occurring materials that have increased in economic importance over the past two decades as inventors have found use for them in “green” energy technology. These minerals are often discussed in tandem with other materials that are not officially on the list of rare-earths, such as lithium, which is indispensable for the manufacture of mobile phone and laptop batteries, among other uses.

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