Top 5 Ukrainian metals Trump needs: how much is available in Ukraine?

Sources from NBC News recently reported that the Trump administration proposed to Ukraine the transfer of rights to 50% of its rare earth metals to the U.S. and indicated a willingness to deploy American troops there for their protection if an agreement with Russia to end the war is reached. Ukraine's rare earth resources were the subject of a meeting last week in Kyiv between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Volodymyr Zelensky did not sign an agreement with the U.S.. At a press conference during the Munich Security Conference, the president stated that Ukraine is not rejecting the agreement on subsoil resources with the U.S., but the document is not yet ready for signing. In an interview with NBC News, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that any agreement with the U.S. regarding rare earth minerals must include security guarantees for Ukraine. He emphasized that without such guarantees from the U.S., the economic agreement would not be viable. Furthermore, he pointed out that Ukraine has looked into which rare earth elements the U.S. imports for its industry. "When we took titanium — this is one example, titanium — we stated that we have titanium in Ukraine, and this is accurate information. There is enough for the industry for 40 years," Volodymyr Zelensky reported.

What Ukraine is Rich In: Rare and Rare Earth Metals in Its Subsoil

Known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine also boasts vast mineral resources, writes Reuters. Some of these resources are essential for industries such as defense, high-tech manufacturing, aerospace, and renewable energy. The publication states that Ukraine has rare earth elements including lanthanum and cerium, used in televisions and lighting fixtures; neodymium, utilized in wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries; erbium and yttrium, applied in fields ranging from nuclear energy to lasers.

"An EU-funded study also indicates the presence of scandium reserves in Ukraine. According to the World Economic Forum, Ukraine is also a key potential supplier of lithium, beryllium, manganese, gallium, zirconium, graphite, apatite, fluorite, and nickel," the article mentions. Additionally, Reuters journalists note that the State Geological Service stated that Ukraine has one of the largest confirmed lithium reserves in Europe, estimated at 500,000 metric tons, which is vital for batteries, ceramics, and glass. Titanium reserves are primarily located in the northwestern and central parts of Ukraine, whereas lithium is found in the center, east, and southeast. Ukraine's graphite reserves, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors, account for 20% of global resources.

What Minerals Are of Interest to the U.S. and Their Uses

The U.S. Geological Survey regularly publishes a list of 50 mineral resources critically necessary for American industry. In addition to rare earth metals, it includes other important elements for various industries such as titanium, aluminum, graphite, magnesium, zinc, tin, lithium, and manganese. These valuable minerals are also present in Ukraine.

Regarding rare earth metals, various elements that are used in the aerospace sector, medicine, optics, electric vehicle manufacturing, oil extraction, and defense could be of interest to American investors.

5 Rare Earth Metals That May Interest the U.S. and Their Applications

1. Neodymium is alloyed with iron and boron to create powerful permanent magnets. They are increasingly used in portable electronic devices, particularly in speakers and computer hard drives. Their high efficiency makes them valuable in hybrid cars and wind turbines.
2. Lanthanum is added in the production of high-refractive-index glass, which is used in telescope and camera lenses. Lanthanum also acts as a catalyst in the crude oil refining process.
3. Cerium is utilized in oil refining and in catalytic converters of vehicles to reduce harmful emissions. Cerium oxide is a polishing compound for glass.
4. Yttrium is used in television and computer screens and other display devices. Along with terbium and europium, it is known as a phosphor, emitting light of specific colors when irradiated with electromagnetic radiation particles.
5. Scandium is used for alloys, ceramics, and fuel cells. The metal is included in aluminum-scandium alloys, which are utilized in fighter jets and bicycle frames. It is added to mercury lamps to create a highly efficient source of light similar to sunlight. The radioactive isotope scandium-46 is used as an indicator in oil refining to monitor the movement of various fractions.

Ukraine has significant reserves of manganese ores, which are critically important for ferroalloy production.

Furthermore, Alexey Kusch continues, the U.S. is interested in Ukraine's titanium deposits, which are a strategic raw material for the aerospace and aviation sectors, as well as for the defense industry. Additionally, the U.S. is also eyeing graphite, of which Ukraine has significant reserves, actively used in automotive manufacturing and electric batteries.

Another important element is germanium, which is actively used in optics. As for lithium, Alexey Kusch believes that Ukrainian lithium deposits are not particularly attractive to foreign investors because they significantly lag behind those in Latin America in terms of richness and accessibility.

Ukraine ranks first in Europe for uranium reserves and resources from the Earth's crust. There are a total of 17 deposits, most of which are concentrated in the Kirovohrad region.

Regarding other mineral elements, Alexey Kusch states that the U.S. could be quite interested in manganese ores, of which Ukraine has vast deposits. According to the State Geological Service of Ukraine, as of 2021, Ukraine ranks second in the world in total manganese ore reserves after South Africa, and first in confirmed reserves. "Manganese ores — their capitalization on the world market is not particularly significant. However, the importance of these ores is immense in a technological context, as they are critically necessary for ferroalloy production," the expert explained.

Accessing Subsoil: Experts' Opinions on the Future Agreement with the U.S. Regarding Rare Earth Metals

Economist and former member of the NBU council Vitaliy Shapran noted: the world is changing, and in the new world, lithium, titanium, and niobium are gaining significance, while the era of space, electric vehicles, and new electronics deforms the demand for traditional metals. The second factor is the prolonged war, which is costing the U.S., the EU, and Ukraine dearly. "The new administration in the U.S. is not opposed to continuing it but wants to give it a commercial character. I believe that under such conditions, Ukraine will feel more confident," the expert stated.

However, primarily, most experts are currently concerned not about granting access for American corporations to Ukrainian subsoil, but about how the agreement will be structured and whether it will include specific figures regarding reserves, as Ukraine has not conducted thorough geological surveys for a long time, meaning that for many deposits, they are still relying on data obtained during the Soviet era, often from the 1960s to 1980s. Authorities have already announced the need for a so-called subsoil audit. Meanwhile, experts claim that this refers to additional geological exploration. "Geological exploration in Ukraine has been conducted since Soviet times, and all processes were documented. I admit that it is possible to enhance geological exploration to find something new in areas that have not been thoroughly examined, but this is not an audit; it is a process of further exploration of mineral resources," Vitaliy Shapran noted.

Experts: No audit of deposits will be conducted before signing the agreement with the U.S. regarding rare earth metals.

In Alexey Kusch's opinion, the set of elements that we have in mineral reserves is known, but we do not know the exact industrial evaluations of these reserves. "Ukraine has been sufficiently explored by geologists. The geological map of Ukraine has long been established. However, the key issue here is the evaluation of industrial reserves. Certainly, the state must independently study the reserves, conduct a certification of deposits, and make an assessment because the better we understand how much of each type of reserve we have, the more equitable price we can obtain for these reserves and, accordingly, the revenues for the budget,"

Most likely, specialists point out that no audit of deposits will be conducted before signing the agreement with the U.S. regarding the deposits. Firstly, detailed exploration requires time (about 2–3 years) and billions of hryvnias, which Ukraine currently lacks for these purposes. "I believe that an audit of the subsoil will not be conducted; the system is not capable of that at the moment. There is nothing to