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

 Impact and Implications of the Mineral Conflict in Ukraine

UKRAINE MINERAL WAR

Shifting Alliances: Germany's New Leadership and Europe's Changing Relationship with the United States

It seems that Europe is changing once again. The Christian Democratic Union in Germany has once again won the most seats, and its leader, Friedrich Merz, will be the country’s new chancellor, or head.

 Friedrich Merz made two points in his speech after his victory. He said that Europe would have to gradually reduce its dependence on the United States, and the reason for this was that America’s interest in Europe had diminished. He was, of course, referring to President Trump’s statements and political and diplomatic actions over the past month.

 Trump had a telephone conversation with the Russian president, followed by a meeting in Saudi Arabia between high-level American and Russian delegations, in which important issues related to the war in Ukraine came to the fore, but these talks did not involve European countries or Ukraine, which is the directly affected party.

Germany's Political Landscape: Challenges and Changes Under Friedrich Merz's Leadership

Also, President Trump has repeatedly insisted that Europe increase its financial share in its defense and Ukraine affairs. Trump wants to make a profit at all costs. The newly elected German Chancellor said that he would restore Germany’s strong position.

 Remember, during the twenty years of his party’s leader, Angela Merkel, Germany not only became the most powerful economy in Europe but also emerged as the third largest economic power in the world. In Angela’s presence, it was impossible for any decision related to Europe or world affairs to be made without Germany being involved, but this time, the CDU received fewer votes than expected and could not even reach the 30 percent figure. Obviously, it will now have to form a coalition government.

 The Christian Democratic Union is a centrist party, while liberal forces in Germany and Europe flourished during her tenure; however, as Merkel’s third term approached, the situation changed dramatically, mainly due to the rising tide of nationalism in Europe, which is uprooting major political pillars. The reason for the CDU’s weak success in Germany is the success of the right-wing party, the “Alternative for Germany”, which won more than 20% of the seats and emerged as the second largest party.

 Its leader, Alice Weidel, was dreaming of becoming chancellor, but the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, won more than 16% of the seats and is also a centrist party. That is why the CDU and CDP will form a coalition government, but Alice warned that this government may be forced to hold early elections after some time.

 Friedrich Merz is an experienced politician and a charismatic figure, which is why he triumphantly said, “Start working tomorrow.” However, the kind of rapid changes taking place in the Western world make it seem that if Merz carries the slogan of European self-reliance, he will gain considerable popularity among the European people. Since the disasters of World War II, Europe’s entire focus has been on liberal values.

Nationalism on the Rise: Europe's Shifting Policies and the Growing Divide with the United States

Human rights, green energy, and peace at all costs have been his manifesto, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the British Brexit before that have awakened Europe, and it is now rapidly turning toward nationalism. Friedrich’s party defeated the right-wing AfD, but its pressure is so intense that Friedrich was forced to say that the party’s demands will have to be considered, and a solution will have to be found. Otherwise, the extremist parties will gain strength.

 In other words, he will make some compromises to meet the party’s demands. Remember, the demands of European nationalist parties are related to the expulsion of immigrants and the religious and social identification of Muslims. Germany, during Merkel’s era, was ready to open the country to a million immigrants and now refuses to take in more immigrants.

 The growing distance between Europe and the United States can also be gauged from the fact that the United States opposed the European resolution on Ukraine in the Security Council, while it voted in favor of the resolution proposed by Russia, which was also passed.

 When the resolution was passed, French President Macron was in Washington and was meeting with President Trump. Macron made it clear to the US administration that any deal on Ukraine would not be accepted as a surrender and that security guarantees were necessary.

 He also said that a ceasefire agreement in the Ukraine war could be reached within weeks. After Macron, British Prime Minister Starmer also met with President Trump at the White House. Starmer said that European troops could be sent to Ukraine to establish peace, which would not take part in the war but would serve to prevent any Russian aggression. The European resolution condemned Russian aggression, while the Russian resolution called for an immediate end to the war.

Diplomatic Dynamics: Trump's Promises, Putin's Praise, and Europe's Strategic Calculations

Remember, Trump had promised during his presidential campaign to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine within 24 hours, and even went so far as to say that “there would be no war if he were president,” and the funny thing is that Putin confirmed this. France and Britain did not vote in favor of the Russian resolution, but despite having veto power, they did not veto it either. This shows that the apparent gulf between Europe and America is not that deep, and both are successful in convincing each other how far they should go with Russia. A Western analyst says that the praise Putin and Trump are giving each other is actually sending the message that we are both right and everyone else is wrong.

 However, other analysts say that Europe wants to see how far the Russian president can go. If he doesn't listen to them, they will have to say, "Look! We listened to everything you said; you were the one who wasn't serious about making peace and ending the war."

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

The United States and Ukraine are signing an agreement that will 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 point 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, and 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.