The U.S. and the aggressor state Russia have begun discussions on joint rare earth metals extraction projects.
This was reported by the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Putin’s special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, in an interview with the Russian propaganda outlet Izvestia.
Dmitriev claims that several American companies have already “expressed interest” in such projects.
“Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation, and we have certainly begun discussions on various rare earth metals and projects in Russia,” the Russian official said.
Kirill Dmitriev was part of the Russian delegation in negotiations with the U.S. in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While in Riyadh, Dmitriev told journalists that the U.S. and Russia should implement joint projects, including “in the Arctic and other regions.” Important Stories outlet describes Dmitriev as “a key Russian negotiator with the U.S.”
According to media reports, the influence of the RDIF head in Russia has significantly increased after he married Natalia Popova, a close friend of Putin’s younger daughter, Katerina Tikhonova.
In February, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin appointed Dmitriev as his special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign states.
The critical minerals agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. – what is known
On March 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine was ready to sign a minerals agreement with the U.S. “at any time and in any convenient format.”
Early drafts of the minerals agreement that the U.S. proposed to Ukraine did not include security guarantees but suggested creating a $500 billion fund to “compensate” for U.S. aid, which was several times smaller in scale.
Zelensky stated that the final version of the agreement does not mention “500, 350, or 100 billion in debt,” which U.S. President Donald Trump falsely claimed.
Following this framework agreement, Ukraine and the U.S. were expected to sign another deal regulating the operations of the Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund—a bilateral entity to be established by both countries. Under this arrangement, Ukraine would allocate 50% of its future revenues from new mineral resource developments to the fund.
On March 11, the President’s Office announced that Ukraine and the U.S. had agreed to finalize a comprehensive agreement on the development of critical mineral resources “as soon as possible.”
On March 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the terms of the mineral resources agreement with the U.S. were constantly changing.
On March 26, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that the U.S. government had prepared a “full-fledged” version of the mineral resources agreement, which could be signed as early as the following week.
On March 27, Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the American side had handed Ukraine a new draft of the mineral resources agreement, which would need to be ratified by the Verkhovna Rada. The document, dated March 23, allegedly grants the U.S. access to all mineral resources across Ukraine, including both current and future developments.
On March 31, Trump stated that Zelensky intended to withdraw from the mineral extraction agreement and warned that if he did so, he would face “significant problems.”
Tags: Russia Ukraine US world about ukraine
