Trump and Ukraine deal: Where are Europe's critical minerals?

THE United States has signed a deal with Ukraine for preferential access to its critical minerals, with Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy mending relations after months of tense negotiations.

- BEATRICE TRIDIMAS, JACK GRAHAM

With Trump working to secure a peace settlement in Russia's three-year war in Ukraine, the United States will also fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction while providing no debt obligations under the agreement.

Ukraine is rich in critical minerals, including rare earth metals which are essential for clean energy technologies such as electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and semiconductors.

Growing demand for these resources is fuelling global competition to secure supply. China dominates the global supply chain of critical minerals, processing 90% of all rare earth metals and 60% of the world's lithium.

Both the European Union and now the United States have highlighted Ukraine as a key partner for investment and securing a mineral supply.

What critical minerals does Ukraine have?

Ukraine has deposits of 22 of the 34 minerals identified by the EU as critical and has the continent's largest reserves of titanium, used in wind turbines, fuel cells and batteries, and uranium, used in nuclear power.

According to the Ukrainian Geological Survey, Ukraine also has enough reserves of lithium and graphite needed to produce batteries for 20 million electric vehicles.