Kremlin desperately seeking to block Ukraine-US Rare Earth Deal
In a calculated effort to sway Washington, the Kremlin is keen to underscore its preference for a rare-earth resources deal between Russia and the US over one with Ukraine. On February 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary questioned whether President Volodymyr Zelensky was ready to "sell" all of Ukraine to the US.
A day later, the Russian state-run TV channel "Vesti" accused Washington of blackmailing Kyiv into a rare-earth resources agreement.
Earlier, on February 22, the Russian war blogger Rybar criticized even a new version of the agreement as unfavorable to Kyiv. They described it as "humiliating,” suggesting Zelensky was ready to “sell” Ukraine "for a pittance."
In a move to forestall a US-Ukraine deal, the Kremlin extended a rival proposal. On February 24, in an interview with Zarubin, Russian leadership emphasized their vast rare-earth resources, which could be in America’s interest. Russian propagandists are actively trying to drive a wedge between the US and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian media has amplified President Putin’s statement from February 24 about a recent joint US-Russia vote for a UN resolution concerning the war in Ukraine.
Statements made by Putin's press secretary on February 26, reflecting changing US policies towards Russia, have just been broadcast. Russian state media headlines appeared to misrepresent these statements, portraying them as a response to the February 28 meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Kremlin is bent on obstructing the agreement between Kyiv and Washington, as it entails long-term investments in Ukraine. Significant Russian efforts are underway to torpedo and misrepresent the deal's actual text. Even if the deal doesn’t entail direct security guarantees from the US, it unmistakably involves substantial investments.
Any Washington-Kyiv agreement contrasts sharply with Russia's long-term goals of isolating and conquering Ukraine. Putin likely views circumventing the US-Ukraine mineral supply deal as essential in stopping US military aid and forsaking Kyiv. There’s a concerted attempt to stall the deal to prevent deepening US-Ukraine ties, which could enable Russia to capitalize on forthcoming negotiations to gain territorial concessions from Kyiv. This effort continues, anticipating that Russia's economic and military issues might later obstruct its battlefield advances in 2025.