Mapping Ukraine’s rare earth and critical minerals

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, is expected to sign a deal with US President Donald Trump on Friday that would grant the country access to its vast reserves of precious and rare earth mineral deposits.

Trump claimed the deal is intended to help US taxpayers recover aid sent to Ukraine during the conflict with Russia, which launched a full-fledged invasion in February 2022. Zelenskyy has already agreed to the preliminary terms of it.

Both parties will begin discussions about a Reconstruction Investment Fund once the deal is finalized in order to determine how resources will be distributed.

What are the known deal terms?

The US and Ukraine are required to come up with a strategy to use the oil and gas sector’s and Ukraine’s reserves of rare earth and crucial minerals in the future.

• A Reconstruction Investment Fund will be created – its aim is to use revenues generated from Ukraine’s natural resources to reinvest back into Ukraine for reconstruction, further development projects, infrastructure and state-owned enterprises.
• The joint fund will receive a 50% of its revenues from state-owned sources.
• The US will have no control over the fund, and where the remaining 50% will come from is unknown.
• The US will commit to supporting Ukraine’s long-term economic stability and prosperity.
• No direct security guarantees will be made, but the US will support Ukraine’s efforts to secure lasting peace.

How much aid has the US sent to Ukraine?

In order to make up for Kyiv’s lack of US military support and support, President Trump had previously demanded a right to $500 billion in potential revenues from using Ukraine’s natural resources. According to Zellenskyy, the amount of US aid to Ukraine is much lower.

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began, the United States has donated 114 billion euros ($118bn).

However, the US Department of Defense puts the figure higher at nearly $183bn, which includes the cost of replenishing Ukraine’s defence stocks.

What minerals are present in Ukraine?

The Ukraine’s Economy Ministry’s data indicates that the country has deposits for 22 of the 34 minerals that the EU consider to be critical.

Ukraine also holds reserves of rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 metallic minerals essential for high-tech applications in electronics, defence, aerospace and renewable energy, including lanthanum, cerium and neodymium.

According to the United Nations ‘ Russian-language news service, Ukraine’s critical mineral reserves made up approximately 5 percent of the global supply as of 2022.

Its critical minerals include precious and non-ferrous metals, ferroalloys and minerals such as titanium, zirconium, graphite and lithium.

The world’s titanium production is 7% made in Ukraine.

Its lithium reserves are largely untapped and considered one of Europe’s largest, at an estimated 500, 000 tonnes.

Where exactly are these minerals?

According to the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), a public policy think tank registered in Belgrade and New York, prior to the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine had registered 20, 000 mineral deposits, with 8, 700 of them proven, encompassing 117 of the 120 most globally used metals and minerals.

The country has some of the world’s top recoverable coal, gas, iron, manganese, nickel, ore, titanium, and uranium reserves.

Most of these minerals span Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporzhizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Korovohrad, Poltava and Kharkiv.

Russia, which controls approximately 20 percent of Ukraine, including large parts of Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia, is sitting on about 40 percent of Ukraine’s metal resources according to estimates by Ukrainian think tanks We Build Ukraine and the National Institute of Strategic Studies, reports the Reuters news agency.

Donetsk and Luhansk, according to Ukraine, are where a sizable portion of its rare earth components are found. The Shevchenko Field of Lithium Ores, one of Ukraine’s biggest lithium deposits, is located in a rural settlement in Donetsk.

What percentage of Ukraine’s natural resources are rich?

According to Ukraine Invest, the Ukrainian government’s investment promotion office, it possesses significant natural wealth in mineral resources worth trillions of dollars.

East of the nation, which is primarily under Russian control, is where the country’s eastern regions are with the greatest amount of natural resources.

The lack of access to these resources has had an impact on Ukraine’s economy as well as stymied global supply chains, particularly in the high-tech and defense sectors.

Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukraine Invest reports that the mining industry is still a significant component of the economy because of growing international interest in securing long-term investment opportunities and continued production in safer regions.

Who is the world’s richest producer of rare earth minerals?

According to the US Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, the nations with the largest reserves of rare earth minerals are ranked below.

• China – 44 million metric tonnes (mt, 1mt is equal to 1, 000 kilogrammes). It also controls the processing of rare earth minerals for about 70% of the world.
• Brazil – 21 million mt
• India – 6.9 million mt
• Australia – 5.7 million mt
• Russia – 3.8 million mt
• Vietnam – 3.5 million mt
• United States – 1.9 million mt
• Greenland – 1.5 million mt
• Tanzania – 890, 000mt
• South Africa – 860, 000mt
• Canada – 830, 000mt
• Thailand – 4, 500mt

Source: Aljazeera