And Ukraine is willing to cut some kind of deal. Kyiv has been courting American investment since 2023. According to the New York Times, that push included a Trump-Zelensky meeting and visits to the US from Ukrainian officials pitching deals for lithium and titanium. The US and Ukraine are at least discussing some kind of metals-for-security deal.

As President Donald Trump works to strike a deal to end the three-year war in Ukraine, an important piece of the negotiations for the president has revolved around accessing rare earth elements from the war-torn country as compensation for American military support.