The Mineral War in Ukraine: Unveiling the Battle for Natural Resources.

 Impact and Implications of the Mineral                         Conflict in Ukraine

Strategic Mineral Diplomacy: The US-Ukraine Agreement and Its Global Implications

 The United States and Ukraine are signing an agreement to give the United States access to the most valuable and rare minerals in Ukraine. The foreign ministers of both countries will sign this agreement. President Trump has also confirmed that this mineral deal will be signed during President Zelensky’s visit to the United States. Trump also said that this would give Ukraine the right to wage war.

He said that the Ukrainian people are very brave, but without American aid and its military weapons, this war would have been very short. When he was asked, “Will the United States continue to supply weapons to Ukraine?” he replied, “Very likely, as long as there is no agreement with Russia.”

 He also surprisingly agreed with the British Prime Minister’s proposal to deploy a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine until a lasting peace is established. But mineral diplomacy is a major development in the Ukraine war, and now economic interests have entered it, or rather, it would be more appropriate to say that economic issues that were kept hidden from the world have come to light.

 The mineral reserves on the territory of Ukraine are of extraordinary importance. Thus, another important aspect of Ukraine has come to light, which has taken the war from the military field to the economic competition. Its territory contains the most important minerals, among them graphite, which is used to make electric vehicle batteries. Its quantity is said to be 19 million tons, which is five percent of the world's total.

 In addition, titanium, lithium (lithium is an important component of batteries used in cars today), uranium and many other rare metals are also included. In the language of technology, they are called "17 rare minerals", which are said to be several million tons. Some of it was also captured by Russia during the war, which is worth more than three hundred million dollars.

 The United States, Europe, and Russia are also eyeing these rare natural resources, which are playing an important role in the geostrategic and geoeconomics of the new century. Their importance to the United States is also because it has been dependent on China for them so far. When Trump imposed taxes on China, China did the same in response, and these minerals were included in it. They are also called critical minerals.

 According to experts, these are extremely important for the development of alternative energy, military, industrial, and infrastructure. According to the information so far, Trump has taken an extraordinary interest in the deal of these minerals, and it is quite possible that a deal has already been made by the time these lines are published. On the other hand, Europe is also interested in them. However, there is no competition between the United States and Europe because they can become each other’s assistants in this race. Perhaps they both want these minerals to be denied to Russia. A major reason for the Ukraine war is that these minerals have now come to light, and in this regard, the importance of this country has also increased.

 President Putin is well aware of the importance of these natural resources. He severely damaged Europe by stopping gas at the beginning of the war. However, in the current situation, he has not given any indication of being part of any deal related to minerals, but rather, he is showing something as if his entire concern is related to Russia's security and the safety of Russian speakers in Ukraine.

 In the Ukraine- Russia war, the economy has become more important than weapons, and President Trump is an expert at playing this game, which is why he has been pressuring the Ukrainian president for minerals since day one. “This will bind the United States and Ukraine in a new future,” said Mike Walters, the US national security adviser, regarding the US-Ukraine deal.

 This kind of economic diplomacy was expected even before Trump came to power. In this regard, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that this deal would be a great reward because, in return, Ukraine would get the US's protective umbrella. However, Russia will certainly be worried about the deal that will bring the US closer to its border, especially when a president like Trump is leading the US.