Does Ukraine have a trump card?

CGTN Europe

Ukraine’s fate could lie within its soil. The country’s leader discussed a ‘mineral deal’ with the U.S. treasury secretary on Wednesday. The bottom line - Ukraine could provide crucial minerals in exchange for security guarantees.   #ukraine #russia #usa #trump

Transcript

00:00What do electric cars have to do with the conflict in Ukraine?

00:05Well, the country's president is using minerals to bargain with the United States.

00:10And some of those minerals are crucial in the production of electric vehicles.

00:15President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine could supply the U.S. with so-called critical and rare-earth minerals.

00:23That's if the White House continues to help it in the war with Russia.

00:28The Americans help the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most.

00:32And in rebuilding Ukraine, they should have this priority, and they will.

00:37I would also like to talk about this with President Trump.

00:40The fact is Ukraine has minerals that could shape our future.

00:44Take lithium, for example.

00:47Government officials say it has 500,000 tons, making it one of the biggest reserves in Europe.

00:54Now, most electric vehicles, or EVs, run on lithium batteries.

00:59Experts say demand will rocket if countries fully embrace green technology.

01:05The International Energy Agency has released its forecasts for 2040.

01:09The key takeaway? Demand could be 4,000 percent higher than it was in 2020.

01:16And then there's graphite.

01:18It takes on average around 66 kilograms of graphite to make an EV.

01:24Ukraine now has 20 percent of the world's graphite.

01:28And again, demand is set to surge over the next two decades.

01:32Some estimates suggest it'll be 25 times higher.

01:36Zelensky says he won't simply hand over rare-earth minerals to the U.S.

01:41Instead, he wants a partnership.

01:44Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says he's ready to talk.

01:57There's little detail on what that partnership would look like.

02:01We may get some clues this week when Zelensky attends a security summit in Germany.

02:06But one thing is clear. Ukraine has played its card.

02:14The question now, is it the Trump card?

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