Trump should act quickly. Why Ukraine's "rare earths" are of interest not only to the USA - Dmitry Alekseenko.

The desire of U.S. President Donald Trump to obtain rare earth metals from Ukraine in exchange for assistance in the fight against Russia highlights the unique resource potential of our country, which boasts significant reserves of hydrocarbons, iron, titanium, and lithium ores of global importance.

Fossil Fuels:

• Discovered fuel reserves: 1.1 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves, along with approximately 200 million tons of oil and gas condensate.

• Undiscovered reserves: over 5 billion tons of conventional fuel.

• Coal reserves: 34.4 billion tons.

Ore and Non-Ore Minerals

Ukraine's subsoil contains about 20,000 deposits and manifestations of 117 types of minerals. The total estimated value ranges from $3-8 trillion; according to other estimates, it could be $12-15 trillion.

The majority of coal reserves are located in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Donbas area holds vast reserves of natural gas. In 2013, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated the resources of conventional/unconventional gas in the Dnieper-Donetsk basin, particularly at the Yuzivska gas field, to be 2.15 trillion cubic meters. It is precisely in this area, where fierce battles are currently taking place, that industrial reserves of lithium ores are found in the Velykonovosilkivskyi district of Donetsk region. These ores are processed into soft, lightweight metal used for manufacturing high-capacity batteries, including those for electric vehicles.

It is unlikely that we can expect access to these minerals in the near future. Other significant lithium deposits are located in Kirovohrad region, where in 2024 Ukraine sold its largest lithium field to an Australian company. Investors plan to utilize our raw materials for their factory in the European Union.

An interesting situation has arisen in the titanium industry, where on October 8, 2024, the State Property Fund sold the United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC) – the largest titanium mining and processing enterprise in Ukraine – at a single-bid auction for less than $100 million. The winner was an international holding from Azerbaijan, which had previously purchased Russian assets.

UMCC represents 4% of the global titanium ore market (ilmenite, rutile, zircon), and is the only enterprise of its kind in Europe, providing critically important raw materials for the defense industry.

In the context of the trade wars initiated by Donald Trump and China's response, which has tightened export controls on five strategically important metals (tungsten, molybdenum, indium, bismuth, and tellurium. — Ed.), Ukrainian rare earth metals are becoming increasingly attractive to international players, especially from the U.S. However, if they are truly eyeing our "rare earths," they need to act quickly, as their sale is already well underway.