 "Russian President Vladimir Putin at his end-of-year press conference. Source: TASS.")
Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled openness to cooperating with the United States on rare-earth minerals after a heated exchange between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy derailed discussions on a potential deal.
In a video now gone viral on social media, Putin said Russia is willing to work with American partners, including private companies, in the rare-earth sector.
“We will be open to cooperation with our American partners, and when I say ‘partners’ I not only mean administrative and governmental agencies, but also private companies if they show interest in working together,” Putin said.
The Russian leader said that his country holds significantly larger reserves of rare-earth minerals than Ukraine.
“Russia possesses significantly higher resources of this kind (rare earth minerals) than Ukraine,” Putin said. “Russia is one of the uncontested leaders when it comes to rare and rare-earth metal reserves.”
Putin listed key regions where these resources are located, including Murmansk in the north, the Caucasus region, the Irkutsk region, Yakutia, and Tuva. He added that developing these deposits requires substantial investment, and Russia is open to partnerships with foreign companies, including those from the United States.
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More Shorts“The same is true for new territories,” Putin said, referring to areas Russia has claimed since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “We are ready to work with our partners, including Americans.”
Trump-Zelenskyy meeting ends in dispute
The rare-earth minerals discussion follows a tense meeting at the White House, where Trump and Zelenskyy clashed over the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
According to multiple sources, Trump grew frustrated with Zelenskyy and abruptly ended the conversation.
Trump reportedly told Zelensky he could return “when he is ready for peace,” a remark the US president later reiterated in a social media post.
The meeting had been expected to include discussions on a minerals deal seen as a possible step toward a US-brokered truce. However, after the dispute, Zelenskyy left the White House without an agreement, and a planned joint press conference was cancelled.
With inputs from agencies