Trump Claims US Can Extract Ukraine Rare Earth Minerals

President Donald Trump announced in interviews with Real America's Voice and Voice of America that a minerals agreement signed in April 2025 grants the United States preferential access to Ukraine's rare earth resources. He stated the U.S. can take "pretty much whatever we want" from deposits of lithium, titanium, graphite, and uranium, asserting that profits from the deal could exceed the total American aid provided to Ukraine since 2022.

The agreement established the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, which allows Ukraine to retain formal ownership of its resources while receiving 50 percent of profits from new projects. Trump estimated U.S. assistance at $300 billion, though the U.S. Special Inspector General for Operation Atlantic Resolve estimated total appropriations at $195 billion. Implementation of the deal currently faces obstacles from corruption, infrastructure shortfalls, and the ongoing conflict.

Russian officials criticized the arrangement. Former President Dmitry Medvedev claimed the deal proves the Ukrainian regime has been broken and must now pay for military supplies with its national wealth. Rodion Miroshnik, a special envoy for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the move as a strategic maneuver to maximize economic benefit, noting that European partners have resisted American-proposed peace terms.