A geologist explains what a mineral agreement between Kyiv and Washington should focus on.

Recently, a potential agreement between Ukraine and the US on the extraction of minerals has been widely discussed with attention focused on rare earth metals. Natalia Bariatska, Doctor of Geological Sciences, believes that their prospects are exaggerated. She emphasizes that Ukraine’s real potential lies in critical minerals. Bariatska believes that Trump initially confused the focal point of the agreement, emphasizing the rare earth component.

“We don’t have many rare earth metals, there are individual objects, but there are none prepared for extraction. Currently, none of them are being extracted,” she said. In contrast, critical minerals include not only rare earth elements, but also such strategically important resources as lithium, graphite, titanium, and aluminum.

“If you look at the list of the US Department of Energy, out of 50 critical elements, 18 are in Ukraine,” emphasizes Bariatska.

Therefore, the agreement between the US and Ukraine may focus on these. The main directions for potential foreign partners may be investment in existing projects or the development of new deposits.