The US may deploy military forces to Ukraine to protect rare earth mineral deposits, according to NBC News, citing four officials familiar with the matter.
In early February, Donald Trump expressed interest in acquiring $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for US military aid. Ukraine holds significant reserves, including beryllium, zirconium, and tantalum. In a Fox News interview, Trump said Kyiv had “essentially agreed” to the deal.
NBC sources report that the Trump administration offered Kyiv a proposal to grant the US 50% ownership in companies involved in rare earth extraction. In exchange, American troops could be stationed in Ukraine to safeguard these resources, contingent on an agreement with Russia to end the war. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen handed the draft agreement to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
Officials told NBC News that rather than paying for the minerals, the deal would allow Ukraine to repay the US billions of dollars in military aid through ownership of the extracted metals.
Sources from The Washington Post confirmed that Zelenskyy refused to sign the draft deal at the Munich security conference, citing a lack of security guarantees. The Ukrainian president indicated that Ukraine would present its own proposal based on the Ukrainian constitution.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that several European countries are working behind the scenes to send troops to Ukraine. European discussions intensified over the past year, driven by concerns that President Trump might strike a deal with Russia without involving European nations. The UK and France are said to be leading these talks, though details of the plan remain unclear. The size of the European contingent will depend on the terms of a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Read more:
- Ukraine declines US proposal for 50% ownership of rare earth minerals in exchange for aid without security guarantees
- Zelenskyy urges US allies to shield Ukraine’s trillion-dollar titanium, uranium resources
- Putin only seeks ceasefire to regroup forces, dodge sanctions
- As US refuses to defend Europe, Russia’s military budget now bigger than Europe’s altogether
