Trump Should Dump His “Rare Earth” Offer With Ukraine

One of the key campaign pledges President Donald Trump made during the 2024 election was to end the years-long war in Ukraine. The then-candidate stated that it was in the American interest to negotiate a deal to finish the war.  Trump was also critical of the aid given to Ukraine, going so far as to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “one of the greatest salesmen” he’s ever seen.  

However, President Trump is now stating that he wants “rare earths and other things” from Ukraine in exchange for aid.  Although it is unclear whether the President desires the minerals in return for already received American assistance or for continued military aid to Kyiv, the Ukrainians see the proposal as a way to ensure more American support for the future.

A top Ukrainian official told the New York Times that the country would be ready to work with “the U.S. on mineral deals, provided the U.S. offers sufficient security guarantees to prevent these resources from falling into Russian hands.”  This condition is similar to the one made in President Zelenskyy’s Victory Plan from October of last year which proposed to Ukraine's partners that the country’s economic potential, which includes its  “natural resources and critical metals”, would be offered for “the joint protection of the country’s critical resources.” 

Most importantly, even if the Ukrainians and Americans agreed to a deal on rare earth, the question of how the minerals could be accessed to begin with is still up in the air. According to Agence France-Presse, “more than 70 percent” of Ukraine’s almost $15 trillion in mineral resources are in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, which are “partially controlled by Russia, and Dnipropetrovsk, where Moscow’s forces are approaching.” 

Ukraine and its Western backers are currently not in a position to turn the tide of the conflict in Kyiv’s favor, a truth that has been recently acknowledged by Trump administration officials.

Seemingly, the only way for a rare earth deal between Trump and Zelenskyy to occur is for security assistance to continue so that complete Ukrainian control over its previously held territory can be met. This should be a total non-starter for President Trump as the goal is unrealistic to achieve.

Trump’s desire for Ukraine’s mineral resources has already been criticized by foes and allies alike, as both Germany and Russia have panned the idea. In tandem with the President’s comments to not rule out military force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal and to “own” the Gaza Strip, the perceptions of the U.S. globally could be negatively impacted which may stymie Trump’s foreign policy objectives.

A deal on Ukrainian rare earth may also bolster President Vladimir Putin’s rationale for continuing the war in Ukraine and his antagonism towards the West. In the past, the Russian leader has referred to the American-led order as a “neocolonial system”  and described Western elites as those “who deny national sovereignty and international law”.  This view may gain sympathy around the world if Trump continues funding the war in Ukraine so the U.S. can get access to Kyiv’s rare earth resources. 

Instead, President Trump’s Ukraine policy should solely be focused on ending the almost 3-year-long war and not further provoking Russia to continue its military campaign. Luckily, it seems that the Trump administration is taking some steps to reach this end. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in remarks to NATO allies, has said that the U.S. “does not believe NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.” In addition, the President has recently stated that he “had a lengthy and productive phone call” with Putin, which preceded American and Russian negotiating teams meeting in Saudi Arabia.

If Trump wants the United States to stop being bogged down in Eastern Europe and for the death and destruction caused by the Ukraine-Russia war to end, he and his administration should bolster these worthwhile efforts and dump his proposal to acquire Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.

Kevin Joseph is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois, majoring in political science and history. He has worked as a Summer Fellow in the U.S. Senate.