Ukraine pitches mineral wealth to win Trump's support
According to The New York Times, Kyiv is seeking ways to appeal to Trump's well-known transactional approach to foreign policy. Hence, Volodymyr Zelensky's assurances that supporting Ukraine's defense is in America's economic interest.
4:18 PM EST, November 3, 2024
Ukraine's mineral resources, worth trillions of dollars, including titanium, graphite, and lithium, could serve as a bargaining chip during President Volodymyr Zelensky's discussions with Donald Trump if he wins the upcoming election and assumes the presidency for a second time, notes "The New York Times" on Sunday.
The newspaper reminds readers that Zelensky "has no illusions about the tragic consequences of losing American military aid," a risk that could arise if the Republican candidate wins.
The "NYT" highlights that, in light of this risk, "Kyiv is clearly looking for ways to engage with Trump's known transactional foreign policy approach." Consequently, Zelensky stresses that supporting Ukraine's defense aligns with America's economic interests, given that Ukraine "is rich in natural resources, including critical metals worth trillions of dollars."
Ukraine's rich resources
"The New York Times" cites 2022 data from the Canadian consulting firm SecDev, which estimated the total value of all of Ukraine's mineral resources to be $26 trillion, including coal, gas, and oil.
Additionally, Ukraine's territory contains strategic resources — approximately 7% of the world's titanium reserves, 20% of the graphite reserves, and 500,000 tons of lithium, essential for producing electric vehicle batteries.
According to Ukrainian officials, British intelligence, and independent investigators, Russia is already looting some of these resources in the occupied territories, emphasizes the New York newspaper.
The article also cites a recent statement from Zelensky, who declared that these valuable resources "will strengthen either Russia and its allies, or Ukraine and the democratic world."
