Zelenskiy: 'Mineral protocol' can be signed at any time, what precious mineral rare earth resources does Ukraine have?

In negotiations with Ukraine, President Trump is pushing for a 'mineral protocol' to be signed between Ukraine and the United States to repay the military aid provided by the US in the past three years. What mineral resources does Ukraine have that attract the US? (Background: Zelensky: Willing to follow Trump's strong leadership, Ukraine 'ready to sign mineral protocol' to return to the negotiating table) (Context: Trump accuses Zelensky of being a dictator: Ukraine should transfer $500 billion in rare earth mineral rights to 'repay US military aid') After the ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia between the US and Ukraine on the 11th, Ukraine has agreed to immediately implement a 30-day ceasefire plan under the condition accepted by Russia, hoping to initiate peace talks. At the same time, the US announced lifting the intelligence ban and resuming security assistance to Ukraine. As for the unsigned mineral protocol, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President's Office who attended the talks on behalf of Ukraine, stated that Ukraine is ready, and when the US finds it convenient, Ukraine will sign the protocol. President Zelensky also stated on social media last week that he is willing to achieve lasting peace under Trump's strong leadership and sign the US-Ukraine mineral protocol. Now, let's quickly introduce the content of the protocol. Core Content of US-Ukraine 'Mineral Protocol' The core content of the US-Ukraine mineral protocol has been adjusted multiple times during negotiations, and the final result is not yet fully clear. However, the two main points of discussion are: Resource Revenue Sharing The original US proposal required Ukraine to hand over a portion of its natural resource income (including minerals, natural gas, oil, etc.) to the US. After negotiations, the US and Ukraine will jointly establish a fund where 50% of the revenue from Ukraine's future development of minerals, oil, natural gas, and other natural resources will be invested to promote Ukraine's recovery and security. This is the most important part of the entire contract. More detailed terms regarding the governance and operation of the fund will be negotiated in the subsequent 'Fund Protocol' immediately after the bilateral protocol is signed. Lack of Security Assurance The draft protocol lacks a clear security commitment to Ukraine, which is one of Ukraine's core demands. Although the US promises to continue providing military assistance until the end of the war, it is unclear whether long-term security assurance will be provided in the future, leading Ukrainian officials and experts to doubt the fairness of the protocol. What mineral resources does Ukraine have? Ukraine has abundant mineral resources, including: 1. Metallic Minerals Iron Ore: Ukraine is one of the world's important producers of iron ore, with reserves of approximately 30 billion tons. Manganese Ore: Reserves are about 140 million tons and are an important raw material for the steel industry. Titanium Ore: Ukraine has the largest titanium ore reserves in Europe (about 6-7% of global reserves), mainly in the form of ilmenite and rutile. Bauxite: Reserves are about several thousand tons, mainly used for aluminum production and distributed in the eastern and central regions. Lithium: Ukraine has potential lithium resources, which are believed to have important prospects in the electric vehicle battery industry although not yet exploited on a large scale. Rare Earth Elements: Including neodymium, lanthanum, cerium, etc., with estimated reserves of about 500,000 tons mainly located in the western and central regions. The concentrations are relatively low but are crucial for high-tech industries (such as electronics, defense). 2. Non-Metallic Minerals Graphite: Reserves are about 1 million tons, mainly in the Zavallia region, high quality, used in industry and battery manufacturing. Phosphates: Reserves are about several hundred million tons, distributed in the northern region and used in fertilizer production. Salt Minerals: Including rock salt and potassium salt, abundant reserves mainly in the western and eastern regions such as the Artemivsk salt mine. Building Materials: Such as limestone, clay, granite, etc., widely distributed to support infrastructure construction. However, it is worth noting that while the longer indicates that Ukraine does have abundant mineral resources, according to Nikkei Chinese, most of the current statistics on resources are from surveys conducted during the Soviet era. Therefore, to accurately grasp the current mineral resources owned by Ukraine, new surveys may be needed.