President Donald Trump announced that his administration is set to finalize a rare earth minerals agreement with Ukraine “very soon,” following his decision to invoke wartime powers to strengthen domestic production of critical minerals.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump emphasized ongoing efforts to secure rare earth mineral supplies through agreements in multiple regions. These minerals are essential for manufacturing electronics, batteries, and magnets, among other key technologies.
“We are close to signing a rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine,” Trump stated. “They possess significant reserves of these valuable resources, and we recognize their importance.”
Trump made the remarks shortly after signing an executive order directing federal agencies to identify mines and government-owned land that could be exploited to boost the production of critical minerals.
The order invokes powers contained in the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law that grants Washington sweeping authority to mobilize industrial resources in the service of national security.
The US and Ukraine had been due to sign a deal granting Washington access to Kyiv’s natural resources until a public bust-up between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month derailed the plan.
Zelensky said earlier this month that his government was “ready to sign” a rare earth minerals deal despite the tense exchange with Trump at the White House, but he wanted the “Ukrainian position to be heard.”
Trump has pushed Kyiv to grant Washington access to its natural resources as part of his administration’s efforts to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky on Wednesday said Kyiv had agreed to a US proposal to pause attacks on energy infrastructure, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the plan.
In his remarks at the White House on Thursday, Trump said his administration’s efforts to reach a peace deal were going “pretty well”.
“So hopefully we can save thousands of people a week from dying. That’s what it is all about,” he said.
“They’re dying so unnecessarily.”
Header image: Ben Curtis/AP Photo
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