To be an enemy of the US is dangerous but to be its friend is fatal,
You’re either going make a deal or we’re out,
Yes, it's a counter to China, but you've still got the problem of where the minerals are going to be processed and how long it's going to take,
Before the war broke out, I had a lot of commercial negotiations with ... investors who were interested in the project,
The reality is that most lithium deposits in Ukraine were identified in the Soviet era and we haven't had any real updates or exploration for many years,
Ukraine hasn't been mapped in 30 years. There's so much more to be done before we get to a phase of advanced exploration in Ukraine,
Even if everything stacks up, it would take a minimum of eight years for the Polokhivske deposit to be developed to the stage where it is producing usable lithium,
They say this gives him (Trump) real skin in the game. I think there is real logic to that,
What we're doing is now we're saying, look, we want to be secured,
We are a backstop because we'll be over there, we'll be working in the country. That's a great thing economically for them,
About 5% of all the world's 'critical raw materials' are located in Ukraine, which occupies only 0.4 per cent of the Earth's surface,
I think there will be some alignment to this figure that Trump mentioned,
Other estimates are still confidential,
I have a lot of respect for him.”
I can see the value in the approach in relation to minerals
We certainly shouldn't discount the importance of American business interests on the ground in Ukraine.
While government-to-government agreements can be a helpful market signal to the private sector and spur investments that may otherwise not occur, challenges with the lack of reliable reserve data to confirm economic viability, the loss of key infrastructure [during the war], and the ongoing security risks in the region jeopardize the viability of long-term minerals investments."
Even in the long-term, the success of the bilateral agreement ultimately hinges on the ability of Ukraine to attract private investment in its mineral resources. The U.S. government cannot command private companies to mine in Ukraine as China and Russia can with their state-owned enterprises."
This poses a risk for mining companies that may end up disappointed after investing millions of dollars in less-than-inspiring deposits,
Twenty-one of the 30 critical materials Europe needs can be provided by Ukraine in a win-win partnership,