Kiev, Ukraine - Kiev, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine has proposed a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump in exchange for U.S. military aid in exchange for Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide valuable source technology for many types of rare earth elements.

Trump said he hopes to reach such a deal earlier this month, initially proposed last fall, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as his plan to negotiate future talks with Moscow. part of.

"We do have great potential in controlling the territory," Andrii Yermak, chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, said in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press. "We are interested in working with the United States, with ours Partners grow together, grow together with our partners.”

Here is the rare earth industry in Ukraine and how a deal blends together:

Rare Earth elements are a set of 17 elements that are crucial for a variety of consumer technologies, including cell phones, hard drives, and electric and hybrid cars.

It is unclear whether Trump is seeking specific elements of Ukraine, which also provides other minerals.

“It could be lithium. “It could be titanium, uranium, many others,” Yermak said. " "a lot of. ”

Trump's main geopolitical rival, China, is the world's largest producer of rare earth elements. Both the United States and Europe are trying to reduce their dependence on Beijing.

For Ukraine, such a deal will ensure its largest, most important allies do not freeze military support. This is devastating for the country, which has been nearly three years after a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

The idea also comes at a time when it is reliable and uninterrupted into key minerals.

Ukraine's rare earth elements have not yet been limited to a large extent, due to the norms of the mineral industry by war and national policies. The country also lacks good information to guide rare earth mining.

Geological data are thin because mineral reserves are scattered in Ukraine and existing studies are largely insufficient. According to businessmen and analysts, research is not enough to shroud the industry’s true potential.

Overall, the prospects for Ukraine's natural resources are promising. The country's titanium reserves are believed to be a key component of the aerospace, medical and automotive industries and are considered the largest in Europe. Ukraine also has some of Europe's largest known lithium reserves, which are necessary to produce batteries, ceramics and glass.

In 2021, Ukrainian mineral industry accounts for 6.1% and 30% of the country's GDP exports.

Based on the Russian occupation, Ukraine's metal mineral resources are estimated to be inaccessible, which is the Russian occupation, which is the data we built Ukraine, which is the think tank in Kiev. Ukraine argues that it is in Trump's interest to develop the rest before Russia's progress takes up more.

The European Union's executive branch, the European Commission, identified Ukraine as a potential supplier of more than 20 key raw materials and concluded that it could strengthen the European economy if the country joins 27-nation Eu.

Details of any deal may develop at meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian officials. Trump announced on Tuesday that he would send Finance Minister Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with Zelenskyy.

"This war must and will end soon - too much death and destruction. Trump said in an article on his social media network that the United States spent billions of dollars worldwide, with little to no Show it.

According to Ukrainian business officials, U.S. companies expressed interest. But reaching a formal deal may require legislation, geological investigations and negotiations on specific terms.

It is not clear what security guarantees a company needs to take to work in Ukraine even in the case of a ceasefire. And, no one knows which financing agreement will be a contract between Ukraine and U.S. companies.

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Susie Blann and Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to the report in Washington.