MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. Mineral deposits exist in Ukraine, but extraction of these requires substantial costs, and no one is willing to invest in development, Lead Research Fellow of the Institute of CIS Countries Alexander Dudchak told TASS.
The New York Post reported earlier that US President Donald Trump plans to make a $500 million agreement with Ukraine to ensure access to rare-earth metals and gas in exchange for security guarantees as part of any potential peaceful agreement.
Rare-earth metals are indeed found in Ukraine and have been mined since the 1970s, Dudchak said. "Various metals, by the way. The well-known lithium and uranium mines, though abandoned at present, particularly in the Dnepropetrovsk Region - mines are still there. Vanadium, zirconium," he noted. "The majority of deposits are in the territories of the LPR and DPR and are already part of the Russian Federation," the expert stated.
"Speaking of whether Vladimir Zelensky may pay with resources? Well, it would be great if no weapons were supplied to the Ukrainian army until they supply lithium. I am at a loss for words! They can't actually extract it. And not just because it’s no longer in their territory. There are also deposits in Kirovograd and Dnepropetrovsk Region, but this is an extremely labor-intensive process and enormous investments are required," the expert concluded.