Ukraine has announced its intention to collaborate with partner nations on development projects spanning mining, energy, a move towards post-war rebuilding.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha disclosed the plans during a press conference on Wednesday, alongside visiting U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Sybiha’s remarks followed recent statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who indicated a desire for access to Ukraine’s rare earth resources as a condition for continued American support in its conflict with Russia.
Highlighting Ukraine’s strategic resource potential, Sybiha stated, “Kyiv intends to offer guarantees of the presence of major businesses in Ukraine and the vested interests of our closest allies—the United States—in developing these (rare earth) deposits and ensuring their protection.”
However, Sybiha was keen to stress that cooperation should not be confined solely to rare earth materials.
He pointed out Ukraine’s potential to bolster Europe’s energy security by purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and storing it in Ukraine’s extensive underground facilities for future distribution.
“This will be one of the largest projects of this century and, accordingly, one of the largest opportunities for our allies,” Sybiha noted, referring to the estimated $400 billion reconstruction effort required to rebuild war-torn Ukraine.
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War toll
In a separate development, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed during an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube that the ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of 45,100 Ukrainian troops, with nearly 390,000 wounded.
The grim figures marked an increase from his previous December estimate of 43,000 soldiers killed and 370,000 injured. Russia, meanwhile, has not updated its military casualty figures since September 2022.
Zelenskyy cited the critical importance of continued Western military aid, warning that a potential withdrawal of U.S. support could undermine European assistance as well. “Without a doubt, we cannot do without this kind of (Western) support,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader emphasised that the United States must play a crucial role in any Western troop deployment to safeguard a peace settlement with Russia.
“This cannot be done without the United States of America,” he asserted, stressing that solely deploying European forces would be insufficient.
Fierce fighting in Eastern Ukraine
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are reportedly losing ground in eastern regions. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed on Wednesday that its troops had captured Baranivka in Donetsk and Novomlynsk in Kharkiv.
These territorial gains are seen as strategic moves to envelop key transport hubs such as Pokrovsk and Kupiansk.
Ukrainian forces, however, continue to strike back. Ukraine’s General Staff reported an overnight strike on an oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, setting it ablaze.
According to Ukrainian officials, the refinery supplies fuel to Russian military forces.
Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Krasnodar, claimed that fragments from a downed Ukrainian drone had struck an oil tank, causing a fire in Novominskaya village.
Emergency services swiftly extinguished the blaze, and no injuries were reported.
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