Ukraine's strategic resource plan aims for us alliance
Ukraine has prepared two aspects of a "victory plan" in its conflict with Russia, keeping in mind Donald Trump's potential success in the U.S. elections, reported Britain's "Financial Times" on Tuesday. One element of the plan involves sharing Ukraine's natural resources, valued at an estimated $26 trillion.
According to the newspaper, Ukraine's "victory plan" consists of two elements. The first pertains to the presence of U.S. military forces in Europe, which could be partially supplanted by Ukraine's experienced army after the conclusion of the Russian invasion.
The second element involves resources. Kyiv would share its resources with Western partners. According to "FT," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham supported this idea. His office did not comment on these reports. In 2016, Graham received the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise from the then-President of Ukraine.
Ukrainian "white gold"
"Zelensky's victory plan was crafted with Trump and the Republicans in mind. There are two nods to Trump there," emphasised Dr Daniel Szeligowski from the Polish Institute of International Affairs.
The expert explained that Zelensky promised joint exploitation of natural resources in Ukraine, which Americans needed in their competition with China. Ukrainian land is rich in resources. The Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) estimated that 21 out of 34 critical elements identified as such by the European Union are present beyond our eastern border. Meanwhile, 117 out of 120 globally used materials are mined in the region. According to ZPP, citing World Bank data, global demand for rare earth metals is projected to increase by 500% by 2050. One of the most valuable rare earth metals is lithium, which produces batteries for electric vehicles. Lithium is crucial in the development of electromobility.
Ukraine holds four lithium deposits containing 500,000 metric tonnes of the resource. The deposits are not currently being exploited due to financial and security reasons. One of the deposits, Kruta Balka, is located in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, and another is near the frontline. Two additional deposits are located closer to the centre of the country, yet they remain within reach of Russian missiles. Moreover, lithium is believed to be as deep as 300 metres underground. Thus, its extraction would require significant financial investments.
Ukrainian natural resources could be extremely important for the USA: Scientists from the Dnipro University of Technology calculated that up to 12 kilograms of lithium are used in a standard hybrid vehicle, and from 22 to even 50 kilograms of the resource are used in the production of fully electric Tesla vehicles.
The "New York Times" cites 2022 data from Canadian consulting firm SecDev, which estimated the total value of all of Ukraine's mineral resources - including titanium, graphite, and lithium - at $26 trillion, encompassing coal, gas, and oil.
