Can Putin Use Rare Earth Minerals to Influence Trump?
In March, Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev claimed that Russia and the United States have started negotiations on Russia's rare earth metal projects, and some American companies have shown interest in them.
Dmitriev told Izvestia: "Rare earth metals are an important area of cooperation. Of course, we have already started discussions on various Russian rare earth metal projects and other projects."
China almost completely controls the production of critical minerals - these minerals are used in a wide range of fields from defense equipment to consumer electronics - which has led Washington to focus on developing its own supply.
The US Geological Survey estimates Russia's rare earth metal reserves at 3.8 million tons, but Moscow's estimates are much higher.
According to the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, as of January 2023, Russia has reserves of 15 rare earth metals, with a total reserve of 28.7 million tons.
But even taking into account the potential errors in Russia's rare earth supply, its reserves only make up a small portion of the global stockpile.
Therefore, in recent months, the United States has been seeking "mineral for security" deals with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ukraine, trying to gain control of the global supply chain from China.
It may try the same measures against Russia.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840550873697291/
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