Russia proposes Mars mission collaboration with Elon Musk
Kirill Dmitriev, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin on business matters, announced on Tuesday that Russian representatives and Elon Musk might soon meet. The main topic of discussion would be collaboration on Mars missions, with Russian participation.
Russian media reported that Dmitriev recently met with Dmitry Bakanov, the new head of Roscosmos, to explore potential cooperation with the United States in the space sector.
In February, Putin appointed Dmitriev as a special representative for investment cooperation with foreign countries. His role is to build connections with foreign investors interested in entering or returning to the Russian market if the sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine are lifted.
On Tuesday, Putin emphasized that Russia does not plan to make it easier for Western companies to return to its market. He instructed the government to monitor any Western companies with contract clauses that might allow them to repurchase their shares, potentially gaining independence from Russian shareholders. Each case is to be meticulously analyzed.
Russia seeks cooperation with the USA on rare earth metals
Dmitriev, who also leads the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told journalists that Russia is interested in collaborating with American companies to extract rare earth metals. He highlighted that Russia has a significantly larger supply than Ukraine.
Reuters noted that Russia holds some of the world's largest reserves of rare earth metals, ranking fifth according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The largest reserves are located in China, Brazil, India, and Australia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is negotiating an agreement with the USA to extract mineral resources on its territory. Kyiv has expressed readiness to sign the deal, but Washington has not yet confirmed its conclusion.
Dmitriev, 49 years old, is one of Putin's closest collaborators and is seen by analysts as a potential successor to the president. He studied in the United States, earning a degree in economics from Stanford University, and continued his education at Harvard University's prestigious business school.
Born in Kyiv, Dmitriev, now associated with the Kremlin, has worked with American and French companies throughout his financial career.
