Ukraine Denies U.S. Access To Rare Earths As Trump Offers No Security Guarantees

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he directed his ministers not to sign a proposed agreement granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on Donald Trump’s interests, Emma Burrows reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Ukraine has vast reserves of critical minerals used in the aerospace, defense, and nuclear industries. I Photo: Володимир Зеленський Facebook

The proposal, which was a key part of Zelenskyy’s talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not include any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the discussions.

Zelenskyy’s decision to withhold approval of the deal, at least for now, was described as “short-sighted” by a senior White House official.

“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because, in my view, it is not ready to protect us—our interests,” Zelenskyy told AP in Munich.

The proposal centered on how the U.S. could access Kyiv’s rare earth minerals “as compensation” for support already provided by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid, according to current and former senior Ukrainian officials, who spoke anonymously to discuss the matter freely.

Ukraine has vast reserves of critical minerals used in the aerospace, defense, and nuclear industries.

The Trump administration has expressed interest in securing access to these resources to reduce U.S. dependence on China, but Zelenskyy insisted that any deal must be tied to security guarantees that would deter future Russian aggression.

“For me, it is very important to connect security guarantees with investment,” the Ukrainian president said.

Zelenskyy did not elaborate on why he instructed his officials not to sign the document, which was presented to Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a visit to Kyiv.

“It’s a colonial agreement, and Zelenskyy cannot sign it,” said a former senior official. Aamer Madhani, Volodymyr Yurchuk, and Susie Blann also contributed to this report for AP.