Mon Feb 24 19:13:23 UTC 2025: ## US Pressures Ukraine to Ceded Billions in Mineral Wealth for Continued Aid: Report
**Kyiv, Ukraine** – Tensions are rising between the United States and Ukraine over access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources. Reports indicate that the US is demanding a significant share of Ukraine’s rare earth mineral wealth, estimated at $500 billion, in exchange for continued financial support in its ongoing war with Russia.
While the exact details remain unclear, sources suggest that the US, under former President Donald Trump’s administration, initially proposed a deal requiring Kyiv to cede rights to a substantial portion of its mineral reserves, which comprise approximately 5% of the global total. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly rejected the initial proposal, stating his inability to “sell the state.”
The controversy has sparked debate amongst experts. Peter Zalmayev, Executive Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, questioned the line between selling and saving the state under the current circumstances. Anatol Lieven, Director of the Eurasia Programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and Theresa Fallon, Director of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies, are among those who have expressed concern regarding the feasibility of extracting resources from a war-torn nation. The practical challenges of resource extraction amidst ongoing conflict are substantial, and the long-term implications of such a deal remain a subject of intense scrutiny. The situation raises crucial questions about sovereignty, national security, and the future of US-Ukrainian relations.
First Piper 