The Impact of the Russian War on Rare Earth Metal Resources in the World Economic Forum: “It’s not the First Day of War, but It’s the Second Day.” – Mr. Trump and the Ukraine
The metal has good strength- to-weight ratio and resistance to heat. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s engine parts are made of titanium to resist high temperatures during supersonic flight. The US had to get titanium from the Soviet Union to build the spy plane.
Ukraine’s mineral reserves are a large but largely unexplored resource. Securing long term investments in critical materials remains a challenge given the ongoing conflict. However, with the potential to supply the U.S. and Europe with essential minerals, Ukraine’s resources may play an important role in the global market for years to come.
A group of rare earth metal substances that are classified as “critical raw materials” by the EU are thought to be held by Ukraine, according to the World Economic Forum.
“It’s clear that Europe, Japan, and the United States are all dependent on China for rare earth elements,” Serhiy Vyzhva, director of the Institute of Geology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, said in an interview.
Scott Bessent, who is Mr. Trump’s treasury secretaries, thinks that an American financial interest in the reserves of rare earth minerals is a better security guarantee than a country without one.
The United States would not be giving security guarantees to Ukraine in return for allowing it to share the country’s mineral wealth, despite assurances by President Trump that President Zelensky would come to Washington to sign a framework agreement.
The U.S. “supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace,” the agreement reads. It isn’t specified if they would provide the guarantees or how they’d take them.
The Center for International Relations and sustainable Development co-authored a report that claims most of the mineral wealth is located in the Ukrainian Shield.
The war decimated critical infrastructure, including nearly half of Ukraine’s power-generation capacity, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mining, one of the most energy intensive industries, is facing many obstacles with companies hesitant to invest in the face of security risks.
The largest titanium producer ofUkraine was sold to a private company for two major titanium mines in Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr.
China has the majority of the global supply and holds the largest reserves. One of the largest deposits ofgraphite is thought to be in Ukraine, but production is minimal and contributes just a fifth of global output in 2020.
In jet engine and battery production, nickel is critical. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest producer of cobalt, an important metal used in rechargeable battery electrodes and a range of other commercial and industrial applications.
Zelensky’s Security Guarantee: Trump refuses to guarantee Ukraine’s safety as part of mineral deal with the U.S.
Mr. Zelensky had been seeking guarantees from Washington, the only nuclear-armed power capable of standing up to Russia. When he was forced into a cease-fire, his main concern was that Russia would regroup and attempt to seize his country again.
The first cabinet meeting of Musk was dominated by discussion of the firing of government workers and other efforts being overseen by Musk who has taken an outsized role in the administration. Europe is going to do that.
Mr. Trump did not say what the US would do to deter Russia from restarting the conflict. He stood in silence on Monday when Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, repeatedly brought up the topic of security guarantees at a joint news conference at the White House.
And Mr. Trump’s statement may cement Europe’s fear that he has essentially switched sides in the war, and is seeking a broader normalization of relations with Russia. The incoming German chancellor stated that Germany must seek independence from the U.S.A. in order to counterbalance the stance of Mr. Trump, who has taken the opposite position.
Last weekend, Mr. Bessent said that he called it an economic security guarantee. The minerals agreement has been negotiated with Mr. Zelensky.
What Can We Learn From a “Triplewire” for the Security of the Second Order of the Constabulary Constraints?
European officials are far from agreeing to what such a force might look like. A big difference could be made from the purpose and shape of the force.
100,000 troops is a figure bigger than Britain, France and Germany could muster without pulling their forces from other missions, like defending NATO territory. An “observer” force could be much smaller — some officials say 10,000 troops or so — but it would, as the name implies, simply observe any violations, and report them.
The US and its allies would have to be prepared to respond to any military moves by the Russians in order for a “tripwire” to work.
