Ukraine's "white gold": Key to Trump's Russia strategy
At the beginning of January, Keith Kellogg, expected to serve as Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv but postponed his visit. Kyiv considers this a positive sign because Kellogg wants to better prepare for the visit. We recall what bargaining chips Ukraine has in talks with the USA.
Kellogg, who held several advisory roles for Trump during his first term, is set to be the main official responsible for fulfilling the president-elect's promise of ending Russia's war against Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Reuters agency reported, citing its own sources, that Kellogg postponed his trip to Kyiv and other European capitals until after the new US president's inauguration (that is, after January 20). The reason for this decision was not disclosed.
The expert highlighted two significant elements: first, a pledge to jointly utilize Ukraine's natural resources, which the United States views as crucial in its strategic competition with China. Second, a tentative vision to replace American forces in Europe with Ukrainian troops emerged, aligning with ongoing debates in the U.S. about scaling back its military engagement on the European continent.
The delay in Kellogg's visit suggests that the Trump administration thoroughly examines insights from intelligence agencies, think tanks and other organizations. According to Interfax-Ukraine, citing Mykhailo Podolak, this approach reflects a more imaginative perspective on the war, its dynamics, potential solutions, and its practical feasibility.
"White gold" for America?
Ukraine could hold a significant bargaining advantage in negotiations with the Trump administration over a potential resolution to the conflict with Russia. Dr. Daniel Szeligowski from the Polish Institute of International Affairs remarked that Zelensky's victory plan appears explicitly crafted with Trump and the Republican Party in mind, featuring clear signals aimed at the former president.
The expert highlighted two significant elements: first, a pledge to jointly utilize Ukraine's natural resources, which the United States views as crucial in its strategic competition with China. Second, a tentative vision to replace American forces in Europe with Ukrainian troops emerged, aligning with ongoing debates in the U.S. about scaling back its military engagement on the European continent.
"Trump card" of Zelensky
In November, the New York Times wrote that Kyiv is looking for ways to appeal to Donald Trump's well-known transactional approach. Zelensky's trump card might be resources: lithium, titanium, and graphite.
As we wrote at that time, Ukraine has four lithium deposits. In 2022, researchers from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine calculated that these deposits collectively might contain 500,000 metric tonnes of the resource. One of these deposits lies in a territory occupied by Russia. The remaining ones are on territories administered by Ukraine, with the Shevchenkivskiy deposit at the front line.
These deposits are not currently being exploited. Ukrainian lithium, known as "white gold," is located approximately 300 meters below ground, making its extraction more difficult and expensive than in South America, where open-pit mining is used.
Lithium is used to produce batteries for cell phones, laptops, tablets, and electric vehicles, so the demand for this element is increasing.
