The diplomatic backdrop to the process of ending the war in Ukraine is thickening. President Trump's focus is now clear that Ukraine's rare-earth elements are at the center of attention, with the US President announcing that there will be an agreement on Ukraine's rare earths very soon, with Zelensky – under suffocating pressure – not ruling it out.
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It is now clear that Ukraine's acceptance of Trump's rare-earth elements' deal is a matter of life and death for the country.
Zelensky has understood that he has no room for denial or further confrontation with Trump, but information about exactly where we are remains confusing.
Ukrainian sources say Zelensky cannot accept a deal in which he gives more than he would pay for its defense and protection from the enemy.
"The president is not ready to accept the project in its current form. We are still constantly trying to make changes and in a constructive way," a source following the matter told AFP on Monday.
The White House, for its part, has suggested that signing a deal that will be hugely beneficial to America is only a matter of time, and even describes it as an existential deal for Zelensky. What is certain is that Ukraine's president is under severe pressure and, as Washington is told, he is in the most difficult moment of his life, even more difficult than the day the war began about three years ago.
U.S. President Donald Trump is offering continued economic and military support to Ukraine in exchange for its critical minerals.
Three sources told Reuters that the Trump administration had proposed that the United States acquire half of Ukraine's strategic minerals.
Specifically, reports said Trump was demanding access to the rare earth minerals, worth $500 billion. Ukraine as repayment for Washington's military support for Kiev over the past three years.
Zelensky dismissed the offer as "not serious" and said he offered no security guarantees in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
The proposal may not have been initially accepted by Ukraine, but the Wall Street journal, citing well-informed sources, reported on Saturday (February 22nd) that the US and Ukraine are close to an agreement that would grant the US valuable mining rights in Ukraine.
Trump President said a deal on minerals would be reached soon, while Zelensky said the Ukrainian and U.S. teams were working on a draft agreement.
According to Sky News, however, Volodymyr Zelensky is not ready to sign a "problematic" rare earth deal with the US.
"The deal is not yet ready to be signed, there are a number of problematic issues and with the current form of the plan, the president is not ready to accept it," a Ukrainian source told Sky News.
"Today, the drafts do not reflect a partnership in the agreement and contain only unilateral commitments by Ukraine."
U.S. President Donald Trump said of the Ukrainian president: "He played hard, but without cards."
Elon Musk's Starlink 'leverage' for Ukraine
U.S. negotiators pushing Kyiv for access to Ukraine's critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting off the country's access to Elon Musk's vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Ukraine's continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was cited in discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessed's initial proposal, the sources said.
Starlink provides vital internet connectivity to war-torn Ukraine and its military.
The issue was raised again on Thursday during meetings between Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, and Zelensky, one of the sources told Reuters.
During the meeting, Ukraine was informed that it faced imminent closure of the service if it did not reach an agreement on critical minerals, the source said.
"Ukraine is using Starlink. They consider it their North Star," the source said. "Losing Starlink would be a huge blow."
Musk sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine to replace communications services destroyed by Russia following its invasion in February 2022.
Melinda Haring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Starlink is essential to the operation of Ukraine's drones, a key pillar of its military strategy
"Losing Starlink would be a game changer," Haring said, noting that Ukraine is 1:1 ahead with Russia in terms of drone use and artillery shells.
Ukraine has a wide range of different drone capabilities, ranging from maritime and surveillance drones to long-range unmanned aerial vehicles.
Trump: They shouldn't let Russia attack Ukraine
In an interview yesterday, President Trump told Fox News that:
"Russia attacked, but they shouldn't have let it attack," adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and then-U.S. President Joe Biden should have done more to prevent Russia's invasion.
What are the rare-earth elements:
Rare-earth elements, which President Trump aspires to exchange for aid to Ukraine, are strategic metals for the global supply chain, essential in the computer, battery and cutting-edge energy industries.
Strategic minerals are the metals and other raw materials needed for high-tech products, especially those linked to the green energy transition, AI infrastructure, weapons systems, and consumer electronics.
The race to halt climate collapse and move away from fossil fuels has sparked efforts to acquire minerals for the green energy transition, such as cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel, which are useful for building wind turbines and electrifying transportation. The same minerals and others are also used to build artificial intelligence data centers, weapons such as F-35 fighter jets and mobile phones, which is why they are in high demand.
With names such as "dysprosium", "neodymium", "europium" and "cerium", rare-earth elements are a group of 17 heavy metals that abound in the Earth's crust around the world.
Although they are not rare as natural minerals, they are found in low and scattered concentrations, which make their extraction difficult and environmentally harmful.
According to a 2024 estimate by the U.S. Geological Survey, there are 110 million deposits. tonnes of rare earths worldwide, of which 44 million are rare earths. China, the world's largest mining power.
Concentrations 22 million ECU It is estimated that Brazil has 21 million tonnes. Vietnam, EUR 10 million; Russia and EUR 7 million. India.
But mining metals requires the use of heavy chemicals that end up in huge amounts of toxic waste and have caused several environmental disasters, making many countries wary of bearing the significant production costs.
They are used in:
Electronic devices (mobiles, computers)
Electric vehicle batteries
Wind turbines and solar panels
Military applications (radars, missile systems)
