by Oui
Tue Feb 4th, 2025 at 11:15:06 PM EST
One minor problem ... the rich districts are Luhansk and Donetsk ... recently annexed by Russia in NATO's proxy war of 2022 ... tens of thousands of lives sacrificed ... forget it Zelensky.
... the Zelenskyy government could present an even larger offer that might be far more enticing to businessman Trump. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are currently the front lines of the conflict, are overflowing with minerals and precious metals.
Donbas, a historically significant industrial region, is primarily known for its rich deposits of coal, including anthracite and coking coal, widely used in energy and metallurgy. In addition to coal, the region extracts iron ore, rock salt, mercury, limestone, and other construction materials, as well as natural gas, albeit in smaller quantities. These resources have played a key role in the development of the region's heavy industry, although extraction has nearly halted in recent years due to the war.
Trump wants Ukraine's 'rare earths' -- What critical materials does it actually have? | Kyiv Independent |
President Donald Trump came out on Feb. 3 saying he was looking to cut a deal with Ukraine by giving the war-torn country weapons and aid in return for its "rare earths and other things."
"They have great rare earths. And
I want security of the rare earths,
and they're willing to do it."
It's unclear exactly what Trump meant by "rare earths and other things." Ukraine is home to 20 of the world's critical minerals and metals like titanium used in the aerospace and defense industries and lithium, an essential component of electric vehicle batteries.
Ukraine also possesses rare earth elements -- under which titanium and lithium do not fall -- such as cerium, yttrium, lanthanum, and neodymium. Demand for these materials has jumped in recent years as the world shifts to renewable forms of energy. Rare earth elements are crucial for making the powerful magnets used in wind turbine generators.
Trump's interest in Ukraine's critical materials may lie in China's current dominance over the rare earth elements market. China controls 70% of global rare earth mining capacity and 90% of processing capacity. With his "America First" agenda, the new U.S. president may be looking to fuel American competitiveness by gaining an upper hand over Beijing.
The global market for critical minerals is $320 billion and could double in the next five years, according to the World Economic Forum.
Kick out NATO ... kick out Rutte the warmonger ...
Starmer and NATO chief Mark Rutte hold news conference in Brussels
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke yesterday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to detail President Trump's immediate foreign policy priorities. Secretary Rubio reinforced the U.S. commitment to NATO and the continued importance of the Alliance to international security. The Secretary and Secretary General Rutte discussed the importance of having capable defense Allies and real burden sharing. They discussed the importance of ending Russia's war against Ukraine and the need for a peaceful solution. They also agreed that the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific are inextricably linked and on the need for greater cooperation and understanding between regions.
Secretary Rubio's Call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
