Trump Seeks Access To Rare Earth Elements From Ukraine In Exchange For Military Aid

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated Monday that he wanted a deal for rare earth elements and other items from Ukraine in exchange for continued military aid for the war against Russian aggression, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"We're looking to make a deal with Ukraine where they will secure what we're providing them with their rare earth materials and other resources," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’re handing them money hand over fist. We’re giving them equipment,” he said.

Many of Ukraine's valuable reserves, such as uranium, titanium, nickel, are in areas now controlled by the Kremlni in the eastern Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, making extraction impossible by Kyiv.  The minerals Ukraine has access to are critical in the manufacturing of batteries, health care and radar systems, and armor – all key for the Western allies.

“I want to have the security of rare earth,” Trump emphasized.

He went on to add that talks were ongoing to bring the conflict to a close. “We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine,” he said without offering further details. “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to stop that ridiculous war.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that his team had been in contact with the Trump administration, and he believes in-person meetings will take place soon to develop more detailed agreements.