Graham on rare earth minerals deal: Americans to see why Ukraine needs protection
Photo: US Senator Lindsey Graham (GettyImages)
The agreement between Ukraine and the United States on rare earth metals is a real breakthrough. It will explain to Americans why the US should defend Ukraine, states US Senator Lindsey Graham during his speech at the Munich Conference.
According to Graham, once the agreement is reached, it will become an argument for US President Donald Trump regarding the defense of Ukraine.
"President Trump can go to the American people and say Ukraine is not a burden, it's a benefit. They're sitting on top of trillions of dollars worth of minerals that all of us can benefit from by aligning with the West," Graham said.
He also noted that in his conversation with Trump, he mentioned that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may want to restore the USSR or even the Russian Empire. This suggests that Putin is "hunting" for money.
"Don't let him steal what Ukraine has to enrich himself. Because that's like defunding the police. So if this minerals agreement happens, it's a nightmare for Putin, because we have something to defend that we didn't have before. So you'd better be pulling for this minerals agreement," Graham said.
Rare earths minerals agreement
It was recently revealed that the US and Ukraine are discussing a strategic partnership agreement. It was recently presented to the Ukrainian side by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who visited Ukraine this week.
According to media reports, the agreement includes US access to strategically important rare earth metals in Ukraine. However, it is known that Ukraine had to finalize the draft agreement.
Sources within the Ukrainian delegation in Munich told RBC-Ukraine that Ukraine has already submitted the revised draft memorandum to the US.
In particular, according to the Washington Post, the US is allegedly offering Ukraine to transfer rights to half of the rare earth minerals. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign the agreement.
At the same time, NBC News reported that the US proposed that Ukraine grant them 50% of the rights to the rare earth metals, but expressed willingness to deploy US troops to guard the mines.
Zelenskyy himself stated today that Ukraine continues dialogue with the US regarding the rare earth minerals agreement, and the discussion process is ongoing.
