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Russia is making a direct play for Ukraine’s rare minerals, pushing back as the United States tries to strike a deal that would give it access to nearly half of Ukraine’s mineral wealth. President Vladimir Putin told RT reporters on Monday that Russia has more rare earth minerals than Ukraine and is open to working with American companies, but only on Russia’s terms. This comes a week after US President Donald Trump confirmed he is in serious discussions with Russia to end the war in Ukraine while also trying to secure economic deals with Moscow, specifically regarding rare earth metals. At the same time, Ukraine’s government is close to signing an agreement that would grant the US access to its mineral reserves in exchange for continued military and political support. But there’s a major problem—40% of those minerals are under Russian control. Speaking to state media correspondent Pavel Zarubin, Putin said, “Russia is one of the leading countries when it comes to rare metal reserves.” To drive home Russia’s mineral dominance, Putin compared his country’s reserves to Ukraine’s, saying, “We certainly have much more of such resources than Ukraine.” He also shared that Russia is willing to sell 2 million tons of aluminum to the US—but only if Washington lifts sanctions on Russian metals. Ukraine nears deal with the US, but Russian-occupied territories block access Meanwhile, Trump has been negotiating with Ukraine for access to rare minerals, demanding control over 50% of the country’s deposits in exchange for continued US military support. “I’ve spoken to Vladimir, and my people are dealing with him constantly, and his people in particular, and they want to do something,” Trump said on Monday in a press briefing with French President Emmanuel Macron from the White House. “I mean, that’s what I do. I do…

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Filed under: News - @ February 26, 2025 5:24 pm