Ukraine's minerals: Zelensky's Trump card in U.S. relations
Kyiv is seeking ways to appeal to Trump's well-known transactional approach to foreign policy, writes "The New York Times." Hence, Volodymyr Zelensky's assurances that aid in defending Ukraine is in America's economic interest.
The billions of dollars' worth of Ukraine's mineral resources, including titanium, graphite, and lithium, could serve as a bargaining chip during President Volodymyr Zelensky's talks with Donald Trump if he wins Tuesday's election and assumes the U.S. presidency for a second time, notes "The New York Times" on Sunday.
The newspaper recalled that Zelensky "has no illusions about the tragic consequences of losing U.S. military aid," which could occur following the Republican candidate's victory.
"NYT" highlighted that due to this risk, "Kyiv is clearly looking for ways to appeal to Trump's well-known transactional approach to foreign policy. Thus, Zelensky asserts that aid in defending Ukraine aligns with America's economic interest because Ukraine is "rich in natural resources, including critical metals worth billions of U.S. dollars."
Ukraine's rich resources
"The New York Times" cites data from 2022 by the Canadian consulting firm SecDev, which estimated the total value of all of Ukraine's mineral resources at £21 billion, including coal, gas, and oil.
Moreover, Ukraine's territory contains strategic resources — including approximately 7% of the world's titanium reserves, 20% of graphite reserves, and 500,000 tonnes of lithium, essential for the production of batteries for electric vehicles.
"According to Ukrainian officials, British intelligence and independent investigators, Russia is already exploiting some of these resources in the occupied territories," emphasizes the New York newspaper.
The article also references a recent statement by Zelensky, in which he claimed that these valuable resources "will either strengthen Russia and its allies or bolster Ukraine and the democratic world."
