Ukraine-US deal on mineral resources must be mutually beneficial, says Zelenskyy

A mutually beneficial agreement with the United States regarding access to Ukraine's valuable mineral resources is needed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with The Guardian.

"I think it should be mutually beneficial for us. What is happening now is not beneficial. The fact that [Vladimir] Putin is seizing our territories and he is simply getting priceless minerals in the temporarily occupied territories for free," the Ukrainian president said.

Zelenskyy also highlighted the importance of protecting Ukraine's mineral resources, including titanium, uranium, and manganese, which are located in the central part of the country. He mentioned that Ukraine has significant reserves of these valuable minerals and rare earth elements.

"For example, in the Crimean direction, we have territories inside our state that we control, we have gas and oil production, but we have a shelf in the Black Sea, and today it is under occupation. This is money, this is our land, and this is big money. Today it is under occupation. This is very dear for us," the president said.

Ukraine, together with American companies, can engage in the extraction of minerals and rare earths, he added. This is the "concrete money" that Ukraine can offer to its allies who help it defend itself.

"These are jobs, these are revenues for American companies, for Americans, Ukrainians, Europeans. We are very open. But we need to talk about this in a substantive way," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine has the largest deposits of titanium and uranium in Europe, he added. Therefore, it is very important that the Russians do not get it.

"It is important to protect this so that it does not go to the Russians or others to whom the Russians can give it – Iran or North Korea – for debts, for some kind of support, China, etc. We are not ready to give it away for free," Zelenskyy stated.

• On February 11, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine had "essentially agreed" to provide the U.S. with access to minerals worth $500 billion in exchange for military aid.
• Following Trump's statement, it was reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would visit Kyiv to discuss U.S. access to Ukraine's critical mineral resources.