The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that he wants to propose an exchange of rare earth metals from Ukraine for assistance from the U.S. The idea of joint extraction of these metals was part of the "victory plan" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This information was reported by a source in the President's Office to "RBK-Ukraine". According to the source, the Ukrainian leader discussed this issue with Trump last fall.
"It was a point in the victory plan. We have special resources, particularly rare earth resources, uranium, lithium, and titanium, and it’s crucial that they do not fall into the hands of Russia. Therefore, the president suggested that these should be specially protected and used with key partners," the source told journalists.
The informant also added that to ensure the protection of Ukraine's rare earth resources from Russia, security guarantees are necessary first.
U.S. Assistance for Ukraine
Reuters reported that after a brief pause, the U.S. has resumed military aid supplies to Ukraine. The Trump administration has not officially announced any suspension of supplies.
Earlier, Reuters also stated that in 2024, Ukraine received only half of the promised military aid from the U.S. and about 30% of the pledged armored vehicles. Delays in weapon supplies occurred during the final months of Biden's term. It was during this period that Ukraine lost nearly all the territory it had liberated during the counteroffensive in 2023.