Vladimir Putin has stated Russia’s openness to collaborating with the U.S. on rare earth mineral mining, both within Russia and in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine.
In a televised interview, Putin highlighted Russia’s substantial rare-earth mineral reserves and their importance to the nation’s economy. He expressed a need for better resource utilization and a willingness to explore energy agreements with the U.S.
These remarks coincide with the Trump administration’s reported interest in recovering aid costs to Ukraine by accessing its rare earth minerals (titanium, iron, and uranium) as part of a potential peace agreement.
“Russia holds a leading position in rare and rare-earth metal reserves,” Putin told a state media correspondent. “These projects require significant capital investment, and we welcome collaboration with foreign partners, including American companies.”
Putin suggested Russia could supply around 2 million tons of aluminum to the U.S. if sanctions restricting Russian metal imports were lifted, potentially stabilizing prices.
He noted that in 2017, Russia accounted for approximately 15% of U.S. aluminum imports, but sanctions have since reduced this figure by at least threefold.
Putin also indicated that agreements could be reached concerning Russian-occupied territories, referring to them as “new territories.”
“The same applies to the new territories: we are ready to involve foreign partners. Our so-called new historical territories, which have returned to the Russian Federation, also possess certain reserves there,” Putin stated. “We are willing to collaborate with our foreign partners, including American ones, in those regions as well.”
Putin also expressed a willingness to discuss energy cooperation with the U.S.
“There’s much to consider, including joint work on rare and rare-earth metals, and other areas like energy,” Putin added.
These comments were made on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a conflict resulting in thousands of civilian deaths and the displacement of millions.
Trump suggested a swift end to the war and a potential deal involving Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, alluded to a possible meeting with the Ukrainian President to finalize an agreement granting rights to Ukraine’s natural resources in exchange for billions of dollars in U.S. support for the war effort.
“He might come this week or next week to sign the agreement, which would be great. I’d love to meet him in the Oval Office,” Trump said. “The agreement is currently being worked on.”
“They are very close to a final deal,” the president stated during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Trump described the deal as “very beneficial to their economy,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that it is “very close.”
Trump’s remarks followed a Truth Social post indicating “serious discussions” with Putin about ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
The president also predicted the conflict’s resolution within weeks and Putin’s potential acceptance of European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.
Trump administration officials, including White House national security advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, reportedly met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss conflict resolution strategies.
Ukraine was not present at the meeting in Saudi Arabia, reportedly upsetting Zelenskyy.
“`