Decoding Ukraine’s Strategic Mines: What exactly is Trump after?
The move angered the White House after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused to sign an initial draft of a mineral resources deal with the United States earlier this month.
US President Donald Trump, who has been criticizing Zelensky in the strongest possible terms, has said that Ukraine should give the United States $500 billion in vital raw materials as repayment for aid Kyiv previously received from the Joe Biden administration.
However, Zelensky said that Washington has only given his country $67 billion in weapons and $31.5 billion in direct budgetary support and that he does not consider Biden’s aid to be a loan.
Pressure tactics that worked
The US’s $500 billion concession for Ukraine’s rare earth mines would not have been possible without leverage. Sources told Reuters that US negotiators have told Ukraine that if a mining deal is not signed, the United States may cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink, a satellite internet service from SpaceX that is vital to Ukraine.
Melinda Herring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, believes that Starlink is essential for Ukraine’s drone operations, which are a cornerstone of its military strategy, and that losing Starlink would be a game-changer. Ukraine has a wide range of drone capabilities