Trump claims Russia has 'very valuable land'.
Russia's vast scale and mineral resources are reasons to restore economic ties with Moscow, U.S. President Donald Trump told Breitbart.
Trump's comments came after a March 18 phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, in which the two leaders focused on bilateral relations and the Ukraine conflict.
According to the White House, improved relations between the United States and Russia would have "enormous benefits," leading to "massive economic deals."
In the interview, Trump said the United States "should deal with Russia." "They have the biggest piece of land, much bigger than China. They have 11 time zones. You can fly across 11 time zones from one side to the other. They have very valuable land," Trump said.
The US president continued to bring up the rare earth deal with Ukraine, which he had sought to offset the billions of dollars the previous administration had provided to Kyiv. President Zelensky visited the White House in late February to sign the agreement, but negotiations became strained, ending abruptly without a deal being finalized.
Following a phone call with Putin on March 18, the White House stated that the two sides had moved beyond the "framework of an economic and mineral agreement" and were now focusing on a long-term peace deal.
President Putin said in February that Moscow was ready to cooperate with Washington to develop its own rare earth mineral deposits, with Trump saying he was open to the idea.
Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 essential metallic elements in modern technology due to their unique chemical and physical properties. They are used in the manufacture of electronics, defense systems, and renewable energy technologies. They are rarely found in the planet's crust in concentrated form, making their extraction both difficult and expensive.
According to estimates by the Russian Federal Agency for Mineral Resources, the country accounts for more than 20% of the world's total REE reserves. Despite its abundance, Russia's current share of global REE production is less than 1%, indicating significant growth potential.
Forbes estimated in 2023 that 70% of Ukraine's REE reserves are located in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which declared independence in 2014 following the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kyiv. These territories came under Russian control after the 2022 referendum.
