The US president’s request for rare-earth minerals in exchange for aid is “very selfish,” the chancellor has said
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lashed out at US President Donald Trump’s demand that Ukraine supply America with valuable minerals in exchange for continued support, calling his stance “very selfish.”
Trump suggested on Monday that the US should gain access to Ukraine’s rare-earth elements as a condition for military assistance from Washington, which has so far amounted to tens of billions of dollars in the conflict with Russia.
He claimed that the US has provided more military and economic aid to Ukraine than EU nations, adding: “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.”
The idea, however, sparked strong criticism from Scholz, who argued that it “would be very selfish, very self-centered” to use Ukraine’s resources to finance defense support. Instead, the chancellor said that profits from rare-earth metals should be utilized for Ukraine’s post-conflict restoration.
“It’s about Ukraine being able to finance its reconstruction,” Scholz stressed on Monday after an informal EU summit in Brussels.
“These are big tasks when you consider the huge destruction. Therefore, the country’s resources should be used to finance everything that is needed after the war.”
Ukraine possesses significant reserves of rare-earth minerals, including lithium, titanium, and graphite, which are essential for various high-tech industries.
Trump’s comments came after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky himself indicated a willingness to collaborate with Western backers regarding these resources. One of the points of his so-called “victory plan” in the conflict with Russia includes the prospect of a special agreement with Western countries, including the US, “on the joint protection of critical resources available in Ukraine, joint investment, and subsequent use of the corresponding economic potential.”
In November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that US policymakers want to establish control over Ukraine due to its vast economic potential. “There is a struggle for resources, and ultimately – a struggle for influence,” he said.
Lavrov stressed that Russia is not fighting for Ukraine’s resources, but rather for the sake of its population. “We care about people, not about natural resources that some people in the US would like to take for themselves and would like to have Ukrainians as servants ‘sitting’ on these natural resources,” he said.
