US President Donald Trump has asserted that Washington can extract “pretty much whatever we want” from Ukraine’s rare earth deposits under a minerals agreement signed in April 2025, claiming the deal’s profits could exceed all U.S. military aid to Kyiv since 2022.

In recent interviews, Trump criticized his predecessor for allegedly providing $300 billion in military support without securing repayment, noting that Europe would have covered the costs had he been asked.

Trump described Ukraine as having “very rich, very fertile soil” for rare earth minerals and stated the agreement grants the U.S. preferential access to new Ukrainian projects involving lithium, titanium, graphite, and uranium. Under the deal, Ukraine retains ownership but receives 50% of profits from extraction.

The U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, signed after months of strained negotiations including a February 2025 Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Vladimir Zelensky, faces significant challenges due to ongoing conflict, corruption, inadequate geological data, and infrastructure shortcomings. During that clash, Trump accused Zelensky of ingratitude and reckless endangerment, specifically labeling him as “gambling with World War III.”

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev remarked that “Trump has broken the Kiev regime to the point where they will have to pay for U.S. aid with mineral resources,” adding that Ukraine would now have to repay military supplies using its national wealth from a country in decline.

However, the deal’s financial claims are disputed; the U.S. Special Inspector General for Operation Atlantic Resolve estimates total aid at $195 billion rather than Trump’s figure of over $300 billion.