What are the critical minerals in Ukraine and what do we know about the United States agreement? | Questions and answers

Ukraine and the United States signed a deal encouraged by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, which will give the United States a preference for reaching new Ukrainian metal works and rebuilding Ukraine.

What are the rare lands and what do they use?

like Rare It is a group of 17 minerals used to manufacture roads that transform mobile energy used into electric cars, mobile phones, missile systems and other electronic devices. There are no viable alternatives.

American geological service considers that there are at least 50 critical minerals, including rare lands, nickel and lehium. Critical minerals are necessary for sectors such as defense, to build high technical devices, space industry and green energy.

What are the metal resources for Ukraine?

Ukraine has deposits of 22 out of 34 minerals identified by the European Union (EU) as critics, according to Ukrainian data. It includes industrial and construction materials, iron bars, precious and unique metals and some rare land elements.

According to the Ukraine Institute of Geology, the country has Rare Like Lantânium and Cerium, used to manufacture TV and lighting devices; Newmium, used in wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries; Erbium and Ittory, whose applications range from nuclear weapons to Laser. The investigation, funded by the European Union, also indicates that Ukraine has a scandal reserves, but the details are confidential.

The World Economic Forum stated that Ukraine is also an important possible resource LithiumBrillium, manganese, gallium, zirconium, graphite, eating inflammation, fluorine and nickel. American geological service states that Ukraine has one of the largest confirmed lithium reserves in Europe, which is estimated at 500,000 metric tons – necessary for fermentation batteries, ceramics and glass.

The country also has titanium reserves, most of which are in the central and northwestern regions. Lithium is mostly in the middle, east and southeast.

The Ukrainian Graffiti Reserves, an essential component of electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors, represents 20 % of global resources. The deposits are located in the middle and in the west.

Ukraine also has large charcoal reserves, although most of them are currently under the control of Russia in crowded lands.

Some analysts and economists from the mining sector stipulate that Ukraine currently does not have rare lands for commercial exploitation.

China is the largest producer in the world for rare lands and many other basic minerals.

What is known about the agreement?

The two countries The agreement was signed In Washington, after months of negotiations that are often difficult, with uncertainty in continuing until the last moment after an obstacle at the last minute.

The agreement establishes a joint investment fund to rebuild Ukraine, while Trump is trying in parallel guarantee a Peace Agreement To end the war in Ukraine for three years.

US Treasury Secretary, Scott betAnd the first deputy minister in Ukrainian minister Yulia Sfridinko in the form of signing the agreement in the X publication in the American Treasury account. He also reads that the agreement “clearly indicates the Trump administration’s commitment to free Ukraine, sovereignty and prosperous.”

Svydenko wrote in X that the agreement states that Washington is contributing to the recovery box. He also said that the agreement provides for new help for Ukraine, for example, in the anti -coverage defense systems. The United States did not comment directly on this issue.

The Master of the Ukrainian MP stated that the agreement allows how to “determine what can be extracted and where” and that the soil that remains owned by Ukraine.

Sfiridinko also said that Ukraine has no debt obligations to the United States under the agreement, which is a central point in long negotiations between the two countries. He said that the agreement also corresponds to the Ukrainian constitution and carried it to join the European Union. However, no concrete security guarantees from the United States to Ukraine are expected, one of the primary goals.

What are the Ukrainian resources under Kyiv’s control?

The war caused widespread damage throughout Ukraine and Russia currently controlling five of its territory. Most coal sediments are concentrated in Ukraine, which fed the steel industry before the war, in the east and lost.

Russia is currently occupying about 40 % of Ukrainian minerals, according to estimates of the Ukrainian reflection groups that we build Ukraine and the National Institute for Strategic Studies, which cite data until the first half of 2024, but we do not give details.

Since then, the Russian forces have continued to progress constantly Eastern Region Donetsk. In January, Ukraine ended the only metal coal mine outside the city of Boucrovsk, which Moscow forces are trying to capture.

Russia has occupied at least two Ukrainian lithium dust during the war – one in Donetsk and one in the Zaburigia region in the southeast of the country. Kyiv also controls lithium sediments in the center of Kirovorad.

What are the opportunities that Ukraine offers?

Okexy Suboliv, the first deputy minister of Ukrainian Economy, said in January that the government is working on Western allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, for projects related to the exploitation of critical materials. The government estimates the total investment capabilities of the sector at about 12 to 15 billion dollars, by 2033.

The government geological service stated that the government was preparing for about 100 places to license and exploit together, but no longer provides details.

Although Ukraine has a very qualified and relatively cheap labor and advanced infrastructure, investors highlight a series of obstacles, including ineffective and complex organizational processes, as well as difficulties in accessing geological data and obtaining land parts. In addition, the development of these projects will take years and require a major initial investment. Reuters