Ukraine Ready to Trade Rare Earths for Military Aid, Zelenskyy Says Ahead of Trump Meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that he is open to a deal granting the United States access to Ukraine’s vast rare earth and critical mineral deposits in exchange for continued military aid amid the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. “If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it,” Zelenskyy told Reuters reporters in a Feb. 7 interview in Kyiv, stressing that Ukraine would require security guarantees from its allies as part of any agreement on supplies of critical minerals and rare earths. Trump told reporters at the White House on Feb. 3 that he was looking to strike a deal with Zelenskyy on securing rare earths in return for continued financial support for Ukraine in its war against Russia....