Ukraine's minerals deal: Which rare earths are in Ukraine and why Donald Trump wants them

Kyiv and Washington have gone back and forth this week in a tug-of-war over a deal focused on the valuable minerals in which Ukraine is rich.

This drew Russia to throw its hat in the ring and try to secure the deal for itself.

With so many moving parts, and as a deal between the US and Ukraine is seemingly close to being signed, the Express has looked into what rare earths are, why Donald Trump wants them, and what other countries are saying.

Trump said he wanted access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as repayment for the US' military and econonic contributions to Ukraine over the past three years. While the US president claimed this amounts to $500 billion (£396 billion), his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said it's around $100 billion (£79 billion).

From Trump's perspective, it would be a hugely lucrative deal because the minerals are essential for production of things like electric vehicle batteries, as well as nuclear power.

From Zelensky's perspective, it offers an opportunity to negotiate US security protection and prolong US aid support, issues the Ukranian president initially presented in his "victory plan" last September.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has championed Ukraine and Britain's support to the war-torn country, has told the BBC that "what the Ukrainians get from this is a United States commitment under Trump to a free, sovereign and secure Ukraine".

Reports have been swirling over the past few days about Kyiv's desire to sign the deal and what it would involve. The US reportedly asked at first for a 50% share of Ukraine's rare earth minerals, full control of its materials, and a right to $500bn (£395bn) in potential revenue from utilising the minerals.

Zelensky rejected the deal, saying,"I can't sell our state", and said he would "not sign something that 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to repay".

However, talks have since continued and Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said on Monday negotiations had been "very constructive, with nearly all key details finalised".

Ukraine is estimated to hold up to £12 trillion in critical minerals, as well as 20% of the world's graphite resources, which is essential for electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors.

It also is expected to have the largest lithium resource in Europe, up to half a million tonnes of it, which is critical for rechargeable batteries for electronics like cell phones, laptops, and electric vehicles.

According to the Institute of Geology, the country also has neodymium, used in wind turbines and EV batteries; lanthanum and cerium, used in TVs and lighting; and erbium and yttrium, used in nuclear power.

However, six trillion of the estimated minerals are in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, which were illegally annexed in September 2022.

Putin made a counteroffer on Monday following Trump and Macron's meeting about a possible Ukraine-Russia peace deal.

In a televised interview on Russian state-owned broadcaster Rossiya 1, Putin said he would strike a partnership with the US to give access to Russia's "new territories" - seized and occupied Ukrainian territory.

He said: "We undoubtedly have, I want to emphasise, significantly more resources of this kind than Ukraine."