The war in Ukraine is taking a new direction. The Trump administration is conditioning continued U.S. aid to Ukraine on gaining access to rare minerals, which Ukrainian authorities are willing to provide.
The Kremlin believes that, with this move, Ukraine is “buying help” from the U.S. Ukraine, with 5% of the world’s mineral resources, ranks among the 10 richest countries. It holds the largest titanium and lithium reserves in Europe and controls 20% of the world’s graphite reserves.
The problem is that out of the $26 trillion worth of Ukrainian energy resources and rare minerals, Russia controls $12.4 trillion. Russia is trying to expand its control over Ukrainian resources to prevent the West from accessing them.
Therefore, in addition to its identity, geopolitical, and international legal aspects, the war in Ukraine has a significant economic dimension.
