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Worldnews

Mapping Ukraines Rare Earth And Critical Minerals

Ukraine holds deposits of 22 out of 34 minerals the EU classifies as critical. Many are in parts controlled by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to sign a deal with US President Donald Trump on Friday that would allow the United States access to the Eastern European nation’s vast reserves of critical and rare earth mineral deposits. Zelenskyy has already agreed to the preliminary terms of the deal, which Trump said is aimed at helping US taxpayers recoup aid sent to Ukraine during the war with Russia, which launched a full-fledged invasion in February 2022. After the deal is signed, both parties will begin negotiations on a Reconstruction Investment Fund to determine how resources will be allocated. The deal outlines a proposal for the US and Ukraine to develop a plan to utilise future revenues from Ukraine’s rare earth and critical minerals reserves, as well as its oil and gas sector. President Trump had previously demanded a right to $500bn in potential revenues from using Ukraine’s natural resources to compensate for US military aid and support Kyiv has received. Zelenskyy has pushed back, arguing that actual US aid to Ukraine is much less. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began, the United States has donated 114 billion euros ($118bn). However, the US Department of Defense puts the figure higher at nearly $183bn, which includes the cost of replenishing Ukraine’s defence stocks. According to data from Ukraine’s Economy Ministry, the country holds deposits of 22 out of the 34 minerals classified as critical by the EU. Ukraine also holds reserves of rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 metallic minerals essential for high-tech applications in electronics, defence, aerospace and renewable energy, including lanthanum, cerium and neodymium. According to the United Nations’ Russian-language news service, Ukraine’s critical mineral reserves made up approximately 5 percent of the global supply as of 2022. Its critical minerals include precious and non-ferrous metals, ferroalloys and minerals such as titanium, zirconium, graphite and lithium. Ukraine accounts for 7 percent of the global production of titanium. Its lithium reserves are largely untapped and considered one of Europe’s largest, at an estimated 500,000 tonnes. According to the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), a public policy think tank registered in Belgrade and New York, prior to the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine had registered 20,000 mineral deposits, with 8,700 of them proven, encompassing 117 of the 120 most globally used metals and minerals. The country has some of the world’s top recoverable coal, gas, iron, manganese, nickel, ore, titanium, and uranium reserves. Most of these minerals span Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporzhizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Korovohrad, Poltava and Kharkiv. Russia, which controls approximately 20 percent of Ukraine, including large parts of Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia, is sitting on about 40 percent of Ukraine’s metal resources according to estimates by Ukrainian think tanks We Build Ukraine and the National Institute of Strategic Studies, reports the Reuters news agency. Ukraine has said that a significant portion of its rare earth elements are located in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Shevchenko Field of Lithium Ores, one of Ukraine’s biggest lithium deposits, is located in a rural settlement in Donetsk. According to Ukraine Invest, the Ukrainian government’s investment promotion office, it possesses significant natural wealth in mineral resources worth trillions of dollars. The areas with the greatest natural resource wealth are located in the east of the country, primarily under Russian control. The loss of access to these resources has not only impacted Ukraine’s economy but also disrupted global supply chains, particularly in high-tech and defence sectors. Despite the ongoing war, Ukraine Invest reports that the mining sector remains a crucial part of the economy, with ongoing production in safer regions and growing international interest in securing long-term investment opportunities. The countries with the largest rare earth mineral reserves are ranked below based on their estimated reserves according to the US Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Futbol

Who Has Made Troy's Premier League Team Of The Week?

After every round of Premier League matches this season, BBC football pundit Troy Deeney will give you his team and manager of the Week. Here are this week's choices. Do you agree? Give us your thoughts using the comments form at the bottom of this page. Mark Flekken (Brentford): Made some really important stops in that victory against Bournemouth. He is a really good goalkeeper that is growing week by week. Jake O'Brien (Everton): He doesn't get much credit but, for a young man to go in at Everton, having never played much under Sean Dyche and then deliver the performances he has been doing week in and week out has been excellent. He gets the equaliser, which was huge for him and for Everton and keeps their unbeaten run going. Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United): Growing more and more as a leader in this Man Utd team. Not many would have remembered it, but at 1-0 there was a massive block that he makes and it keeps Man Utd winning. No airs, no graces, he just gets the job done. Calvin Bassey (Fulham): He doesn't get as much credit as Joachim Andersen next to him, but he was bullish, strong, solid in the tackle and epitomised that Fulham team. Pervis Estupinan (Brighton): He scored a great free-kick against Man City, and was also excellent attacking in that game, getting past the Man City players at will. He was excellent. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United): A key part to how Man Utd are playing. Fernandes gets more credit for his assists and goals, two assists and a goal obviously, and as this Man Utd team gets better so will he. Christian Norgaard (Brentford): He keeps chipping in with important goals but he is the heartbeat of this Brentford team. He keeps the ball moving really, really well. Nothing special but everything he does is of a really high quality. Omar Marmoush (Manchester City): Not just at the end of this season but for next season as well, he is going to be really important for how the new Manchester City team plays. He has dynamism, he can run, he can shoot, he can go past people and he also has that assured confidence/ arrogance that says "I am the governor, give me the ball". That shirt won't be too big for him and he will only get better and better. Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United): He scored his first goal for 24 games against Leicester and the way he finished showed his pitch geography. He didn't look where he was, made pure contact. He drove forward, got at the Leicester defenders a lot and showed his commitment to the cause with his digging in. Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolves): He scored two goals and I really think there is a player in there. Wolves will be trying to get him to end the season well, not just for this season, but for next season as well. He was excellent and got Wolves virtually safe. Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest): How Man Utd will wish they had kept this player. He has been exceptional for Nottingham Forest. Two wonderful goals, both completely different, and you are seeing a young man that has confidence and a self belief. He has had a difficult journey, being rejected by Man Utd, but has picked himself back up, no complaining, no sulking, and has just gone out and showed what a good player he really is. Vitor Pereira (Wolves): When he came in, I wasn't sure he would be able to get them playing how he wanted. But he has implemented the style, got them fitter, got them sharper and much more organised. He has also kept them safe and has been excellent since he came in. Do you agree with Troy's selections? Who would be in your Team of the Week? Have your say using the comments form below:

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News_Naija

IFAB Approves Law To Tackle Keeper Time-wasting Corpers Knock FG Over Unpaid N77k Allowance

A goalkeeper holding the ball for more than eight seconds will be punished with a corner for the opposition from this summer. The new law was unanimously approved by the International Football Association Board at its annual general meeting in Northern Ireland on Saturday and will be in place at FIFA’s Club World Cup, which takes place in the USA from 15 June to 13 July. Under the current law, keepers should be punished if they hold the ball for more than six seconds, with the opposition being awarded an indirect free-kick. But the CEO of the Football Association of Wales, Noel Mooney said the implementation of the six-second rule had “dissolved over time”, and it is hoped that the new law will lead to a reduction in time wasting. Already trialled in over 400 games in three different competitions, including the Premier League 2, referees will also warn the goalkeepers with a five-second countdown before they are penalised. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom said, “We had the test, and the test was very successful. The referees didn’t have to signal for a corner (often).” The IFAB also voted to continue offside trials in which the attacker will be ruled onside if his torso is level with the second-to-last defender.