Scholz Rejects Trump’s Demand for Ukrainian Minerals in Exchange for Aid “`

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized US President Donald Trump’s proposal to demand rare-earth minerals from Ukraine in exchange for aid, deeming it excessively self-serving.

Chancellor Scholz strongly condemned President Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine provide the US with access to its valuable mineral reserves as a condition for continued American support, which has totaled tens of billions of dollars. He described Trump’s position as “very selfish.”

Trump, on Monday, proposed that the US should secure access to Ukraine’s rare-earth resources in return for military assistance, asserting that the US has provided more aid than EU nations. He stated: “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.”

Scholz countered that using Ukraine’s resources to fund defense support would be “very selfish, very self-centered.” He advocated for using the profits from these minerals to rebuild Ukraine after the conflict.

“It’s about Ukraine being able to finance its reconstruction,” Scholz emphasized following an EU summit in Brussels.

“These are significant challenges given the extensive destruction. Therefore, the nation’s resources should be used to fund its post-war needs.”

Ukraine possesses substantial reserves of rare-earth minerals, including lithium, titanium, and graphite, crucial for various high-tech industries.

Trump’s remarks followed Ukrainian President Zelensky’s expression of willingness to collaborate with Western partners regarding these resources. His “victory plan” includes a potential agreement with Western countries, including the US, “on the joint protection of critical resources available in Ukraine, joint investment, and subsequent use of the corresponding economic potential.”

In November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged that US policymakers aim to control Ukraine due to its significant economic potential. “There is a struggle for resources, and ultimately – a struggle for influence,” he stated.

Lavrov asserted that Russia’s conflict is not about Ukraine’s resources but its people. “We care about people, not about natural resources that some people in the US would like to take for themselves and would like to have Ukrainians as servants ‘sitting’ on these natural resources,” he said.