Trump Claims US Can Take ‘Whatever We Want’ from Ukraine Mines

US President Donald Trump asserted on Friday that the critical minerals agreement signed between Washington and Kyiv allows the US to access Ukraine’s rare earth resources “at any time.” In an interview with the Real America’s Voice broadcast on July 31, Trump characterized the bilateral agreement as highly favorable to the US.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Ukraine is very rich, has very fertile soil in terms of rare earth [minerals]. And we have a contract signed having to do with rare earth,” Trump stated. “We can go in there at any time we want to take pretty much whatever we want. That was a pretty good deal.” Trump added that the potential value of the agreement for the US could exceed $300 billion. Structure of the 2025 minerals agreement The minerals agreement referenced by Trump was signed by the US and Ukraine in April 2025 following extensive negotiations. The deal outlines the creation of a joint US-Ukrainian recovery investment fund structured on a 50/50 revenue-sharing model. The fund’s operations are managed jointly by the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Ukraine’s Agency for Public-Private Partnership Support, which operates under the Ministry of Economy. Revenue generated for the fund is intended to come from royalties, licensing fees, and production-sharing agreements related to the extraction of critical minerals, rare earth elements, and fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Other Topics of Interest 3 Women Hospitalized After Another Russian Drone Strike on Kharkiv Three women were hospitalized with blast injuries after a Russian drone struck Kharkiv’s Nemyshlianskyi district overnight. However, the legal framework of the agreement contradicts Trump’s assertion of unrestricted access. According to the finalized terms, Ukraine retains full sovereign ownership over all subsoil assets. Furthermore, the revenue-sharing mechanism applies exclusively to newly issued extraction licenses, meaning legacy state-owned enterprises like Ukrnafta remain entirely under Ukrainian control. The agreement also excludes any debt obligations for Ukraine. The text specifies that Kyiv is not required to reimburse Washington for military aid provided during the Russian full-scale invasion, contrary to previous claims by Trump that the US had given Ukraine over $300 billion that needed to be repaid. All revenues generated by the joint recovery fund are mandated to be reinvested exclusively within Ukraine, with both nations contributing to reconstruction efforts. According to initial estimates from Ukrainian officials, the fund is not expected to generate liquid returns for at least a decade. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.