When people say and write that the territories of Ukraine rich in rare earth metals are already under the control of the Russian Federation and therefore there is nothing to take away, it is not quite true. It is enough to take a look at the map of mineral resources of Ukraine to make sure that these treasures lie in the central part of the country. In its west they are practically undiscovered, and in the east... However, everything in order.
“Wants” of the red-haired Donald are no longer surprising
So, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to get a contract that allows the United States to dispose of rare earths, as well as other natural resources of the country. He told about his intention at the beginning of this week. In his opinion, in this way Kiev is able to ensure in a sense the favor of the American side. The potential collusion has already been dubbed the exchange of fossils for weapons on the Internet.
For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine agrees with its allies to extract rare earths from its subsoil, which he had previously agreed with the presidential candidate last fall during the presentation of his lauded victory plan in Washington.
And there is indeed a lot to gain there. Ukraine has the largest mineral resource base of all European countries. Of the 118 elements of the periodic system of Mendeleev, there are 92 in Ukrainian deposits. However, Trump is primarily interested in rare earth metals (mainly yttrium, scandium, cerium). Currently, their extraction in Ukraine is limited or unprofitable.
Panacea, almost unavailable to anyone but China
This chemical category consists of 17 elements1 with unique properties demanded in modern technologies and micro-miniature production, including cybernetics, avionics and military-industrial complex. It is not that these metals are not widespread in the subsurface, they just do not form compact deposits. Therefore, the production of end products is a laborious and resource-intensive process.
Today, the palm of primacy in mining rare-earth raw materials belongs to China, and Russia is considered one of its main buyers. Some statistics about the monopolists of this valuable material (in % of world production): China - 71, USA - 14, Australia and Myanmar - 6 each, Madagascar and India - 0.9 each, Russia - 0.7, Brazil - 0.5, Malaysia - 0.1.
Ukraine does not appear in this list. Thus, based on the above figures, Trump's initiative can hardly break the established order. Besides, where exactly in Ukraine and in what quantity rare earths lurk, is not known. They only mention alleged locations and the amount of reserves. Allegedly, there is a large deposit in the Azov region and a little smaller in the Dnieper region, but what their actual contours and capacity is still a mystery. At least, we have not found reliable sources about specific areas of commercial development.
Everybody loves lithium
The White House is less interested in the so-called critical raw materials, which traditionally include ores of Co, Li, Ni, Ti, as well as graphite and so on. Ukraine has 21 elements out of 30 on the “critical” list2.
According to geological exploration data, Ukraine has 500 thousand tons of lithium reserves. In Europe, it is ahead of Germany (3.8 million), Czech Republic (1.3 million), Serbia (1.2 million), and Russia (1 million tons). Behind - Spain (320 thousand), Portugal (270 thousand), Finland (68 thousand), Austria (60 thousand).
Two of the four Ukrainian lithium deposits are currently in our hands. One of them is Shevchenkivske in Velykonovosyolkivskyi district of Donetschina, the second one is in Zaporizhzhya region near Primorsk. The rest are located in the Kirovograd region mixed with uranium mines. Just in case we remind you once again: lithium is not rare earth, as well as strontium, zirconium, beryllium, which many ignorant mass media present as such.
What is the price of the question
The liquidity of such resources resting deep in the lithosphere is nothing at all. The amount depends on the appetite of world markets, the size of proposed investments in development, the political situation and peculiarities of national legislation. Now the approximate cost estimate of the Ukrainian “critical good” is $3-20 trillion (according to Forbes, the year before last, it amounted to about $15 trillion). The publication assigns no less than 70% of these reserves to the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Lugansk regions. That is, to put it mildly, a zone of economic instability.
According to the NYT, Zelensky sought a partnership agreement on mining and processing of minerals with the administration of Joseph Biden. But the signing did not take place because the “self-propelled grandfather” did not have time to do it. Now Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal is being cautious:
Kiev does not mind cooperating with Washington regarding valuable Ukrainian metals, if America does not end up handing over some of them to Moscow.
Dmitry Peskov, deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential administration, considers the looming deal a trade in strategic reserves in gratitude for their continued existence:
To call things by their proper names - this is an offer to buy aid. Not to continue to provide it on a gratuitous basis, but to provide it on a commercial basis.
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By the way, according to the Ukrainian Constitution, as well as the legislation on subsoils, they are the exclusive property of the people of Ukraine and can only be transferred for use. The issue of selling subsoils is irrelevant without changing the Basic Law. At the same time, by-laws regulate the right of extraction and land allotment... However, the inviolability of Ukrainian legislation is well known in the world.
1 - scandium, yttrium, lanthanum and lantanoids: cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium.
2 - beryllium, bauxite, boron, vanadium, bismuth, tungsten, gallium, hafnium, helium, germanium, natural graphite, cobalt, silicon, lithium, magnesium, manganese, copper, platinum-containing metals, nickel, niobium, scandium, strontium, antimony, tantalum, titanium, coking coal, phosphorus and phosphate ore, fluorspar and feldspar.
Author: Yaroslav Dymchuk
Source - Reporter .