By Ivana Kottasovรก, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 3:06 PM EST, Tue February 4, 2025

Is America Also The King of The East? ROME Re-rise To Supremacy!
US President Donald Trump has said he wants access to Ukraineโs mineral deposits in exchange for future military aid that Kyiv needs as it continues to defend itself against Russiaโs aggression.



US and other Western countries have Bull’s eye in Ukraineโs mineral riches
While the comment highlighted Trumpโs transactional approach to the war in Ukraine, it was not entirely unexpected. The US and other Western countries have eyed Ukraineโs mineral riches for a long time.
โWeโre putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths. And I want security of the rare earth, and theyโre willing to do (that),โ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, without specifying what, if anything, Ukraine had agreed to do.

ROME IMPERIALISM – Kyiv creating economic incentives and implementing good business and environmental practices
He has previously suggested that any future assistance should be provided as a loan and would be conditioned on Ukraine negotiating with Russia.
Under former US President Joe Biden, the US had provided Ukraine with $65.9 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
Biden argued the aid was necessary because Ukraineโs victory was key to Americaโs own security. Trump, however, has made it clear he doesnโt believe the US should continue providing assistance without getting something in return.

While Trump did not give any details on what he wants from Kyiv, a deal outlining a deeper cooperation between the US and Ukraine on minerals had been in the works for months before he took office in January.
A memorandum of understanding prepared under the Biden administration last year said the US would promote investment opportunities in Ukraineโs mining projects to American companies in exchange for Kyiv creating economic incentives and implementing good business and environmental practices.
Ukraine already has a similar agreement with the European Union, signed in 2021.
Adam Mycyk, a partner in the Kyiv office of the global law firm Dentons, said that while the objective of the deal โ securing critical mineral supplies from Ukraine โ remains unchanged, Trumpโs approach seems to be more transactional.
โIt remains to be seen what form such an agreement could take, but it would be in Ukraineโs best interests for its post-war recovery and long-term economic prospects to maximize as much as possible the processing and value creation of any extracted minerals in Ukraine by Ukrainian companies,โ Mycyk told CNN.
Mineral Deposits are one of the Reasons the West should Support Ukraine
Kyiv has not yet responded to Trumpโs comments, but the Ukrainian government has in the past made the argument that its mineral deposits are one of the reasons the West should support Ukraine โ to prevent these strategically important resources from falling into Russian hands.
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Revelation 11 : 18
Ukraineโs President Volodymyr Zelensky has specifically mentioned the possibility of future investments in the countryโs natural resources by its Western allies as a key part of his โVictory plan.โ
Hunger Games : Ukraineโs globally important energy and food production potential, are among the key predatory objectives of the Russian Federation in this war.
โThe deposits of critical resources in Ukraine, along with Ukraineโs globally important energy and food production potential, are among the key predatory objectives of the Russian Federation in this war. And this is our opportunity for growth,โ Zelensky said in a statement outlining the plan in October.
US largely depends on imports for the minerals : A deal that would bring US investment into Ukraineโs mining sector
Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska, the co-founder of the Ukrainian Sustainable Investment Fund, said a deal that would bring US investment into Ukraineโs mining sector would be beneficial for both sides.
[7] And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, [8] Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
Proverbs 7 : 7-8
The US largely depends on imports for the minerals it needs, many of which come from China. Of the 50 minerals classed as critical, the US was entirely dependent on imports of 12 and more than 50% dependent on imports of a further 16, according to the United States Geological Survey, a government agency.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has deposits of 22 of these 50 critical materials, according to the Ukrainian government.
โIt is not only a crucial step for Ukraineโs post-war economic recovery, but itโs also a chance for the US to address global supply chain issues,โ said Katser-Buchkovska, who served as a member of the Ukrainian Parliament from 2014 to 2019 and was the head of a parliamentary committee on energy security and transition.
[24] Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. [25] Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
Proverbs 7 : 24-25
Chinaโs global dominance_-Pope Social Justice & Economic Warfare
Although Trump used the term โrare earths,โ it is unclear whether he intended to refer specifically to rare earth minerals โ a group of 17 elements that exist in the earthโs core and have magnetic and conductive properties that make them crucial to the production of electronics, clean energy technologies and some weapon systems.
Ukraine doesnโt have globally significant reserves of rare earth minerals, but it does have some of the worldโs largest deposits of graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium and uranium, all of which are classed by the US as critical minerals. Some of these reserves are in areas that are currently under Russian occupation.
China has long dominated the global production of rare earth minerals and other strategically important materials. It is responsible for nearly 90% of global processing of rare earth minerals, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). On top of that, China is also the worldโs largest producer of graphite and titanium, and a major processor of lithium.

The latest trade spat between Washington and Beijing makes it even more important for the US to look for alternative suppliers.
The economic measures China announced on Tuesday in retaliation for Trumpโs new tariffs include new export controls on more than two dozen metal products and related technologies. While they do not cover the most critical materials the US needs, the move indicates that China is prepared to use its mineral riches as leverage in trade disputes.
Mycyk said that the demand for these critical materials is expected to surge because of the global transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.
โUkraineโs deposits are thus globally significant, offering diversification away from dominant producers like China. Keeping these resources under Ukrainian control is crucial for maintaining its economic sovereignty,โ he added.
CNNโs Kevin Liptak contributed reporting















