Ukraine’s Ukrainian Shield region is rich in critical minerals, including lithium and graphite, but lacks essential infrastructure and security.
Mining
Trump seeks a minerals deal with Ukraine to get exclusive access to critical materials like gallium, which is vital in defense manufacturing.
Anticipating increased demand for copper, big miners like BHP want greater market share to be able to set prices and provide higher returns to shareholders.
In the pursuit of deeper participation in Kazakhstan’s extractive industries, South Korea faces country-level and broader geopolitical risks.
There’s no such thing as “clean cobalt.” Cobalt extracted under slave-like conditions is mixed into supply from large-scale miners.
Saudi Arabia could invest in Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper mine — a megaproject that faces huge political, geopolitical, and security risks.