Wants to turn it into a "colony." Media reveals why Trump is interested in Ukraine's natural resources.

The agreement granting the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth metals, which President Vladimir Zelensky refused to sign, was tantamount to "economic colonization of Ukraine." The U.S. hopes that access to Ukrainian natural resources will help reduce dependence on China.

Why the U.S. is So Interested in Ukrainian Minerals

As reported by The Telegraph, if the U.S. gains access to Ukraine's minerals, it can eliminate its reliance on Chinese supplies. These resources are essential for the production of a wide array of products—from wind turbines to iPhones and stealth fighters.

"As Washington competes with Beijing as a 'great power,' Ukraine's resources, estimated at $15 trillion, could theoretically be useful. According to publicly available NATO briefings, the strategic importance of Ukraine's mineral resources 'cannot be overstated' as critically important to both the U.S. and Europe. These include graphite, lithium, beryllium, and uranium, as well as rare earth elements like lanthanum, cerium, and neodymium," the article states.

Many of these materials are currently crucial for defense, green energy, and even aerospace technologies. However, the leading supplier is China.

Trump Believes the U.S. Has the Right to "Seize Ukraine's National Assets"

As is known, Zelensky rejected Trump’s proposal. Analysts believe that his aggressive stance will provoke protests in European capitals, which themselves seek greater cooperation with Kyiv regarding minerals.

"It seems that Trump essentially acts as if Americans have the right to seize Ukraine's national assets in exchange for the assistance they have provided so far," says Ian Bond, a former British diplomat and deputy director of the London-based Centre for European Reform.

He emphasized that while the U.S. has provided Kyiv with more military aid since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has offered significantly more financial and humanitarian assistance. However, Trump overlooks this fact.

"He plays the role of a petty criminal, as if he walked into a store and said: you have a nice little business here, it would be unfortunate if something happened to it. This administration behaves like an organized crime syndicate", he added.

The U.S. and the EU are facing an impending conflict over Ukraine's resources and their strategic significance. Both sides are striving to diversify supplies away from China, explained Brian Bille from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

As reported by The Telegraph, Ukrainian officials are working on a proposal that would grant Washington greater access to the country's natural resources while strengthening U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine. However, the agreement brought to Kyiv by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury is compared to the partitioning of African colonies by Europeans in the 18th century.