Israel’s Yuval Raphael is keeping a low profile.
Zelenskyy pitched the plan to the White House during a visit to Washington in late September, and later in a meeting with Trump at Trump Tower in New York.Giving American companies preferential access to Ukraine would serve as leverage against Russia as most mineral deposits are located very close to front-line areas. Having U.S. companies on the ground, the thinking goes, would cement Washington’s interests in Ukraine and serve as a de facto security guarantee. Critical minerals used to manufacture weapons, aviation and batteries would also give the U.S. access to reserves in a global market dominated by China.
Trump appeared captivated by the idea and very soon after his inauguration in January started touting the idea of getting Ukraine’s rare earth elements.By February, the White House and Ukraine appear to have madetoward reaching an agreement that would provide the U.S. with access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
On Feb. 12, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent became the first senior Trump administration official to visit Kyiv. Zelenskyy was expected to sign the deal that day amid ad, saying elements of the draft didn’t align with his country’s constitution. The deal would have given the U.S. 50% rights to Ukraine’s minerals and mentioned nothing of security guarantees.
“I didn’t let the ministers sign … because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy told The Associated Press at the Munich Security Conference in February.
Bessent later said that Zelenskyy “blew up” the deal. Zelenskyy shot back, saying Bessent’s approach had been disrespectful.Las Vegas Metro Police officers confer by the main entrance of a Las Vegas Athletic Club after a shooting Friday, May 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
A bystander walks on Rainbow Boulevard as Las Vegas police investigate an officer involved shooting that left two dead and three injured at the Las Vegas Athletic Club in Las Vegas Friday, May 16, 2025. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)A bystander walks on Rainbow Boulevard as Las Vegas police investigate an officer involved shooting that left two dead and three injured at the Las Vegas Athletic Club in Las Vegas Friday, May 16, 2025. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
People write witness statements while Las Vegas police investigate an officer involved shooting that left two dead and three injured at the Las Vegas Athletic Club in Las Vegas Friday, May 16, 2025. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)People write witness statements while Las Vegas police investigate an officer involved shooting that left two dead and three injured at the Las Vegas Athletic Club in Las Vegas Friday, May 16, 2025. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)