Ukraine Does Not Have Any Rare Earth Metals: Djoomart Otorbaev
Trump with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky (Image credit The White House)
Ukraine has Limited Critically Important Minerals: Ex-PM Kyrgyz Republic
By Rasina Correspondent
New Delhi, March 1: Former Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic Djoomart Otorbaev said that US President Donald Trump may have been misguided in believing that Ukraine has rare earth metals. He also said that Ukraine has miniscule critical minerals.
Otorbaev cited several reports, including of US Geological Survey, to put out a realistic assessment of Ukraine’s reserves of critical minerals. He analysed the situation ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with Trump. US President is counting signing of a deal with Ukraine on critical minerals as a major achievement.
“Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington for an official visit to sign an agreement granting US access to Ukrainian minerals. In February, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington anticipates Kyiv providing guarantees for the supply of rare earth metals in return for financial and military assistance,” wrote Otorbaev in a post on Linkedin.
He, however, stated that “the paradox is that, according to the US Geological Survey, Ukraine contains small deposits of just one rare earth element: scandium”. “Rare earth metals consist of 17 elements, with China leading in reserves at 44 million tons, followed by Vietnam with 22 million tons, Brazil with 21 million tons, Russia with 10 million tons, and Greenland with 2 million tons,” stated Otorbaev, adding that “notably, Ukraine is absent from this list”.
He stated that the “the US President may be mistaken in referring to rare earth elements as critically important minerals”. “However, concerning the latter, Ukraine only has industrial mines of titanium and lithium. In 2023, the global market for the titanium was valued at $31 billion, yet Ukraine exported merely $11.6 million the previous year, representing 0.037 percent of titanium-containing minerals,” added former Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic.
Yet, he stated that “Ukraine possesses the largest lithium deposits in Europe, which is crucial for the battery industry and electric vehicles”. “However, the most significant deposit, Shevchenkovske, which contains an estimated 12-14 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, is located on a combat contact line and is at risk of falling under Russian control,” added Otorbaev. US is now working with Russia for a “deal” on Ukraine War.
The Krutaya Balka deposits are situated in the Zaporizhia region, which is also partly under Russian control. “The myth of Ukraine’s unlimited supply of essential minerals may have originated from Senator Lindsey Graham’s claim that Ukraine possesses between $2 trillion and $7 trillion in metals and minerals,” wrote Otorbaev in the post.
But, he stated, experts estimate that the total value of strategic metals and minerals in Ukraine is no more than $775 billion, including lithium, titanium, and copper—relatively common elements worldwide. “Furthermore, most of these resources remain underground, and their extraction and processing require substantial investment. Analysis indicates that the subject of today’s negotiations in Washington is rather vague, and the parties are likely to restrict themselves to general statements that will hold limited practical significance,” added the former Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic in his analysis of Ukrainian reserves of critical minerals.
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