“Critical rare earths” and Other Topical Issues (Discussed with Representatives of Foreign and Ukrainian Media)
Ukrainian mineral resources have surprisingly become a key topic of negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine. The deal proposed by Donald Trump has caused up public interest in Ukraine’s critical mineral resources. Geology and mining are very complicated industries that rarely come to the attention of ordinary citizens, including journalists. Therefore, the help of professional specialists is very important for a more correct reflection of events. During the hype around the minerals agreement, Softmine LLC was approached by many journalists for comments and explanations on critical minerals. This publication is dedicated to the review of the main comments, publications, interviews, and radio programs.
With Nick Peyton Walsh, chief international security correspondent for one of the world’s leading media companies, CNN, discussed the correctness of estimates of the quantity and value of Ukraine’s critical mineral resources and the prospects for their extraction after the war. The article “Inside a struggling Ukraine mine, Trump’s mineral deal dreams meet war-torn reality” was published on February 28, 2025 on CNNWorld.
On March 10, 2025, an interview “Rare earth metals are not the best we have, – geologist Natalia Bariatska” was published on the website of the Ukrainian business online media The Page. We talked with journalist Artur Gmyria about the difference between rare earth metals and critical minerals, what minerals from the US list of critical minerals Ukraine has, how much potential investment and time may be required for their development, how geological exploration in Ukraine has been and is taking place, and many other issues. The video of the interview is available here.
The article “From ‘ore to rocket’: how Russia is building raw material autonomy for war” was published on the website of the Trap Aggressor information project of the analytical center StateWatch, which monitors the results of sanctions and confiscation of assets owned by those involved in the aggression against Ukraine. As Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine continues, it is trying to increase its mineral resource base of critical minerals and is seeking resource and technological sovereignty. Together with Trap Aggressor analyst Darya Kuzmina, we analyzed the difficulties Russia may face in restoring or increasing the production of minerals that are critical to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Zach Anders, a foreign correspondent for Newsmax, an independent American news media, was interested in why Ukraine’s territory contains many minerals from a geological point of view, what types of minerals are there, how much are explored and ready for development, what advantages and disadvantages Ukraine has for mining compared to other countries, what infrastructure and other conditions are available and may be needed.
On March 15, on the air of Ukrainian Radio, together with TV hosts Natalia Sokolenko and Serhiy Stukanov, and the founder of Nadra.info, Volodymyr Boiko, we discussed the draft agreement on “rare earth elements” between Ukraine and the United States, the validity of estimates of resources and reserves of critical minerals in Ukraine, potential risks of foreign investment in Ukrainian subsoil, geological exploration of mineral deposits, and much more. The recording of the radio broadcast can be found here.
On 2 May, The Ukrainian Weekly podcast with Michael Buryk discussed what critical minerals are, which ones are on the list of critical minerals in the United States and which ones Ukraine has. We have analysed the importance of Ukraine’s critical mineral resources for the global economy in general and the United States economy in particular. The recording can be found here.
