After years of efforts, Kiev realized that Donald Trump was more likely to believe that Ukraine is worth saving because of the abundant mineral of wealth.

To win a President of the United States, who wants to claim Greenland for huge raw material reserves and its strategic position in the Arctic, Kiev has been stressing for months that his rich deposits – from titanium to graphite – could help Trump overflow China in the World Struggle for resources.

On Monday, Trump “pinched the bait”, and said he was planning to make a deal with Ukraine “Where they provide what we provide with the materials of rare earths and other resources.”

The German Chancellor Olf Saltz saw the move the future US military assistance in return access to minerals as a “heinous transaction” and criticized it as “Very selfish, very self -centered.”

Kiev, however, realizes that focusing on its minerals is vital to continuing US support – and therefore the country’s survival – and thus deliberately adapted its message to Trump’s commercial instincts. Knowing that the US President would not be aware of “calls for the protection of democracy”, Kiev played “the paper” of the danger of precious metals, which are vital to industrial and military technologies, to fall into the hands of Moscow – Moscow – and consequently of China.

‘Overall, this is a positive message’, Politico told Politico by Olxandr Merezko, head of the Ukrainian Parliament Committee. “I think Trump has begun to understand that there is a risk that Ukraine’s strategic resources, if not helped, to end up in the hands of authoritarian regimes and to strengthen these regimes. And not only Russia, but also its partner, China, “he added.

While initially he was very afraid that the Trump government would simply turn its back on Ukraine, Kiev now has some reasons for very restrained optimism. The US president’s proposal that he will continue to support Ukraine in return for minerals follows his call to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin last month that he should end the “ridiculous war” otherwise would face much tougher sanctions.

Ukraine does not waste time trying to close a deal with Trump. Hours after Congress’s confirmation that Chris Wright, founder of Petroleum Services Company, takes over Trump’s energy minister, Ukrainian counterpart Herman Haloustenko sent him a letter thanking the US for their strategic cooperation, and saying 50% Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed and it would be important for Trump to maintain pressure on Moscow.

In the letter, which was knowledgeable by Politico, Halouschenko said that Ukraine is ready to work with the Trump government to create a strategic trade share for the US in Ukraine’s energy sector, stressing that the country has some of the larger deposits Petroleum, gas, uranium and other natural resources in the world.

How Ukraine caught Trump’s attention

Ukraine has deposits of 22 of the 50 minerals that the US has described as critical (from the list of 34 European Union, 25 of them). The country is particularly rich in graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium and uranium, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. Resources are essential for the manufacture of batteries, radar and armor systems – key to defense and technological industry – and will some extent contribute to a reduction in US dependence on Chinese minerals.

Republicans have long recognized the strategic value of Ukraine resources. “I don’t want to give this money and these assets to Putin to share it with China,” Senator Lindsay Graham said last year. “If we help Ukraine now, it can become the best business partner We ever dreamed of. “

Ukraine’s titanium reserves are “at the top level”, observed a European expert in the raw materials he spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity. “The Ukrainians are obviously looking for anything that attracts Trump’s attention. And that has definitely caught his attention. “

The argument of resources “is very digestible for Donald Trump and the Trump government in terms of the value of Ukraine,” commented Daniel Vyidic, a Republican expert in foreign policy that now advises Ukrainian state services in his capacity as president of Yorktown Lobb Solutions.

“While for many people in the previous government, Ukraine’s support concerned freedom and democracy, This has no appeal to Trump... We need other reasons to attract them because Ukraine’s support and the struggle for Ukraine makes sense. “

Feeling the threat, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized Trump’s proposal Tuesday, saying: “If we say things as they are, this is a proposal to buy help – in other words, not to give it unconditional or for some Other reasons, but specifically to provide it on a commercial basis. “

It is definitely.

Mining between mines

Already in September, several months before Trump wins the US election, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski began to promote the idea that it was in the financial interest of America (and others) to help Kiev repel Russia’s attack and to attack Russia and recover as much as possible of its territories.

In his so -called victory plan, Zelenski offered the Allies a special agreement on joint protection and investment in Ukraine’s natural resources and critical trillion -m in the dollars, including Uranium, Titanium, Lithium, Graphite and others.

But there is an issue here. Many of Ukraine’s resources are concentrated in the east and south of the country, in areas most affected by war, which are either disputed or occupied by Russia. One of Ukraine’s richest resource, Dnipropetrovsk is threatened at this stage with Russian forces tightening their control around Pokovsk.

‘Trump realizes That the areas where rare land appear are largely occupied and need to be released? ” Asked by Michael Godsar, president of the Strategy XXI NGO World Studies Center. “That’s why US weapons and really harsh sanctions are needed against the attacker.”

The deal will cost Ukraine – but it is likely to be worth paying.

“It would mean much less mineral wealth in the future,” said Peter Dickinson, author of the blog Ukrainealert at Eurasia Center and publisher of Business Ukraine and Lviv Today. “But I doubt someone is very worried about it,” he added. ‘Compared to the country’s alternative solution completely erased from the map, It really looks very good deal! Most Ukrainians certainly seem to see it as unpleasant, but in the end they have no alternative. “

However, asked if Ukrainian officials believe Trump could give Kiev capable military support to help them recover territories held by the Russians, Waydic, a Republican Specialist who is currently under pressure, that it doesn’t have this impression. “Nor do I think Ukrainian officials necessarily believe that this means that Trump will support Ukraine until he regains all those territories where vital minerals are. I don’t think this is the center of gravity of their thinking. “