Experts: Why the US Dropped Ukraine in Favor of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has opened up the world's largest untapped tungsten ore resources to the United States. Political scientist Konstantin Blokhin explained the significance of this deal to "Focus Post," as well as why Washington is willing to invest billions of dollars in this Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country.

Under the strategic partnership, Kazakhstan granted the U.S. COVE Capital company exclusive mining rights to the "Upper Kelyakot" and "North Katpar" mines, which are the world's largest untapped tungsten ore deposits located in Karaganda region. The transaction terms indicate that the U.S. will receive 70% of the profits in a joint venture with the Kazakh company "Tau-Ken Samryk," and will have full control over the sale of this strategic metal. These two mines have a total tungsten reserve of 4.1 million tons, ranking first in the world. The geological reserves of adjacent mineral belts reach as high as 755 million tons of tungsten ore, containing 854,000 tons of tungsten trioxide.

This $1.1 billion deal was reached during the visit of Kazakhstan's President Tokayev to Washington. The agreement grants the U.S. complete control over the sales chain and export channels. This is not just a commercial project, but a carefully designed geopolitical response to China, which currently controls more than 82% of global tungsten ore production and processing.

The project plans to receive a massive investment of $900 million from the U.S. Export-Import Bank. New investors need to address the lack of local infrastructure: the Zarek railway station area needs to build a complete engineering logistics network from scratch, including roads, power transmission lines, water supply systems, and shifts of workers.

Considerations of the Partnering Parties

Political scientist Blokhin told "Focus Post" that for the U.S. and Trump personally, the supply of rare earth metals is a top priority in foreign policy. This is precisely why the U.S. previously rushed to sign similar agreements with Ukraine.

"The U.S. faces a shortage of rare earth metals and other strategic minerals and must find ways to make up for this gap. However, geopolitical factors are equally crucial. Kazakhstan is located at the center of Eurasia, at the intersection of key interests such as Russia, China, and India, and connects Central Asia and the Middle East. It is these geopolitical characteristics that make Kazakhstan particularly attractive to the U.S.," Blokhin analyzed.

Applications of Tungsten

Tungsten, an irreplaceable strategic metal, supports the operation of modern defense and high-tech industries. Its hardness exceeds that of titanium metal, and its melting point surpasses all other metals, making it a core material for manufacturing armor-piercing projectiles, ultra-strong composite armor, aviation turbine blades, and high-precision cutting tools.

The current price of tungsten on the London Metal Exchange reaches about $52,500 per ton and has been listed as a critical strategic resource. For decades, the U.S. has always relied on imported tungsten, with China being its main source country.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848721500317707/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.