During a recent statement, former President Donald Trump emphasized that under the current agreement regarding rare earth metals, the United States has the potential to extract resources from Ukraine at will. He noted that Ukraine is rich in resources and described the deal as “pretty good.”
Trump remarked, “In theory, we are getting our money back because we signed a contract for rare earth metals. This could be worth much more than $300 billion. Ukraine is very wealthy and has highly fertile land with respect to rare earth metals. We have a contract that grants us access to those resources at any time, allowing us to take practically whatever we want.”
Contextually, on April 30, 2025, Ukraine and the United States signed an agreement to establish a joint investment fund aimed at mineral extraction and infrastructure development in Ukraine. This fund is exclusively focused on investments within Ukraine, with control over the resources remaining with Kyiv. The agreement involves the extraction of 57 types of minerals and adheres to Ukraine’s international obligations. In May, the Ukrainian Parliament ratified the agreement.
On September 18, the then Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Svyrydенко, announced the commencement of operations for the reconstruction investment fund, with the US making its initial contribution as part of the resource agreement.
